10s Movie review - Zwaar Verliefd

Director: Jamel Aattache
Genre: Romance/ Comedy
Runtime: 86 minutes
Year: 2018
Starring: Barbara Sloesen, Jim Bakkum, Liza Sips, Abbey Hoes, Jamie Grant, Sarah Chronis, Kay Greidanus, Davy Eduard King, Christopher Parren, Pim Wessels, Diana Dobbelman, Rienus Krul, Mouna Goeman Borgesius, Ernst ter Linden, Steef Cuijpers, Christine van Stralen, Ilse Kollenburg, Kiefer Zwart

I WATCHED THIS MOVIE FOR MY 2020 MOVIE CHALLENGE.
WEEK 50: A MOVIE SET IN YOUR COUNTRY

Description: A young overweight veterinarian (Barbara Sloesen) falls for the owner (Jim Bakkum) of the dog she saves. The feelings might be mutual, but her insecurity gets in her way.

Review: “Zwaar Verliefd” is based on a book by Dutch author Chantal van Gastel, about  successful veterinarian Isa, who thinks she is too fat. Besides that, she actually feels fine, working out isn’t her thing, she has great friends and loves her job. But when she meets the handsome Ruben, she becomes insecure.
“Zwaar Verliefd” does a lot of things right. First, Isa wants to do something about her body even before she gets head over heels with Ruben. And her friends aren’t bothered by Isa’s weights either, or are constantly telling her what is best for her. On the contrary, they are full of praise of Isa’s appearance and also everything she has achieved in her life. And although Ruben’s annoying ex-girlfriend is a skinny bitch, the creators never give you the idea that being thin and fit means automatically you are attractive.
The films is very light-hearted and predictable. The central conflict is a bit weak and inconclusive. But I do love the two leads, together and apart. I also liked the location it was set. Most Dutch films are set in Amsterdam or in a city nearby. This was set in Den Bosch. Only negative here is that the accent spoken in this part of The Netherlands is not heard at all.
“Zwaar Verliefd” is a fun film for a girls night, but nothing special.

Rating: 2,5 / 5

10s Movie Review - Dames 4

Director: Maurice Trouwborst
Genre: Comedy/ Drama
Runtime: 90 minutes
Year: 2015
Starring: Hannah van Luntren, Jennifer Hoffman, Sarah Chronis, Tibor Lukácx, Henry van Loon, Ko Zandvliet, Huub Smit, Sophie van Oers, Renée Fokker, Elisa Breuger, Guido Pollemans, Martijn Hillenius, Ludwig Bindervoets, Hugo Maerten, Sanne Gloria Verboom, Jurjen van loon, Kristen Denkers, Rixt Leddy, Guido Schilperoort, Walter Bart, Tessa du Mee, Maaike Martens, Ozlem Solmaz, Peter de Witte, Chris Peters, Jadi Gerritsen, Harry Hooijberg, Ryanne van Dorst, Wouter van Couwelaar, Gijs Hoffs

Description: Immature thirty-something Wyne (Hannah van Lunteren) starts a women’s amateur soccer team in hope reconnecting with her settled-down best friend Nanda (Jennifer Hoffman)

Review: They do wear soccer outfits and on a good day they know on which position they play. But this soccer team, with women in their thirties, doesn’t really know how to play the game or how to arrange everything.
Like other Dutch films “All Stars” and “My Name is Joe”, “Dames 4” isn’t really about soccer at all. It’s the red thread through the story, that connects the characters. But it’s actually about Wyne and her best friend Nanda. Nanda is serious, can’t wait to settle down with her long-time boyfriend and is even thinking about having children. Wyne never grew up, loves her single life, doesn’t want a family life and can’t stand the fact that everyone around her is having babies. So when Wyne sees she is losing her friend Nanda, she decides to start a soccer team in order to keep spending time with her.
Apart from Wyne, none of the characters really have any depth and we don’t get to know them very well. Most of them are stereotypical or even caricature-like characters. The writing is witty at times, but overall a bit lazy and filled with sex jokes.
I didn’t like the direction Wyne eventually went in. It felt out of character and as determined as she was the entire film, that’s how quickly Wyne eventually choose her future path and set all her hopes, dreams and principals aside. It was like looking at a complete new character, it didn’t fit her.
It's a short film and a lot has to be told. “Dames 4” didn’t fully succeed in doing that right.

Rating: 2,5/ 5

10s Movie Review - Bloedlink

Director: Joram Lürsen
Genre: Thriller/ Crime/ Drama
Runtime: 90 minutes
Year: 2014
Starring: Marwan Kenzari, Tygo Gernandt, Sarah Chronis

Description: Two ex-cons kidnap (Marwan Kenzari, Tygo Gernandt) a millionaire's daughter (Sarah Chronis) and hold her for ransom, only to see their scheme go awry when she proves herself to be more cunning than expected.

Review: Director Joram Lürsen decided to remake the British Indie film “The Disappearance of Alice Creed”, from 2009. The film is exactly the same, but this time in Dutch with Dutch actors.
“Bloedlink” starts strong. Rich man’s daughter Laura is being kidnapped in broad day light, by two men. She is tied up to a bed and has no idea why they took her. The kidnappers, Victor and Rico, want her father’s money.
The plot sounds simple, but it has some surprising moments.
The strongest element of the film is the acting. Especially Tygo Gernandt as Victor and Sarah Chronis as Laura are very strong. The first half of the film is great, but the further we get into the story, the more unbelievable it gets.
A thriller with a strong cast of three and a fantastic first half. But it sadly couldn’t keep that same level of excitement through the entire runtime.

Rating: 3 / 5