Rietland

Well-made arthouse films are, without a doubt, the cinematic genre that I enjoy most. Which is why movies that unsuccessfully attempt to pass themselves off as such annoy me to no end, particularly when they give the genre itself an undeserved reputation. Regrettably, that's very much the case with writer-director Sven Bresser's debut feature outing, "Reedland." When widowed Dutch reed cutter Johan (Gerrit Knobbe) stumbles upon the corpse of a young woman in one of his fields, he's troubled at what he finds. It's suggested (though never made especially clearly) that he feels guilty about this disturbing finding on his property, so he subsequently launches into an impromptu investigation of his own to discover the truth behind this unsettling incident, despite warnings from authorities advising against this. That, in itself, should make for an engaging premise, but, disappointingly, the filmmaker fails on this point. He loses control of the story, dressing it up with a wealth of visually stunning cinematography in an attempt to cover this offering's many shortcomings. However, no amount of admittedly gorgeous imagery can make up for a lack of a coherent, comprehensible narrative, the primary undermining culprit in this production. For starters, what should be the core story element is largely (and inexplicably) forgotten once introduced. Even though passing references to it are scattered throughout the picture, they're bafflingly intercut with long, lingering images of reed fields blowing in the wind, frequent protracted sequences of Johan walking or driving, segments of a loving grandfather doting on his young granddaughter (Loïs Reinders), and countless extended closeups of the protagonist silently emoting (but never really cluing us in on what he's pondering). Complicating matters further are the inclusion of several largely mishandled illusory sequences and a number of oddly conceived scenes involving a noisy malfunctioning washing machine, a graphic equine insemination act and Johan engaging in "self-gratification" while staring at a computer screen featuring what appears to be an AI-generated sex worker. But what does any of this have to do with a grisly murder investigation? Delightful ambiguity is one thing, but cryptic obfuscation is something else entirely. These elements are not inspired innovation or creative cinematic license at work; they're depictions of unfocused pretention trying to make themselves out to be something more than they are. In light of that, then, it's truly mystifying how this release managed to earn the distinction of being named the Netherlands' official entry in the International Film category at the upcoming Academy Awards. Curiously, as the closing credits roll, a graphic dedication appears on screen in which the filmmaker pays tribute to his mother for helping him "to see the reeds" (whatever that means). Obviously, the director is attempting to portray something of a meaningful and highly personal nature through this work, and that's certainly laudable. Sadly, though, it's unfortunate that he didn't let the rest of us in on what that was. Instead, we have been left lost to roam the reed field aimlessly on our own.

In the beginning of "Reedland" a sexually abused dead body is found. What seems to become a murder mystery turns into something completely different. The question is however into what precisely?

The first thing to notice is the fact that initially the suspicion goes to "the other", the other being a boy in a nearby village. The film places this somewhat xenophobic attitude in the context of globalisation enforcing scaling up / mechanisation and mechanisation in his turn exhausting the soil.

Quickly it turns out however that the other boy has a waterproof alibi, turning the film into a kind of "Who didn't do it". The question remains however who did do it? The urgency of this question is emphasized by the character of Aleida, which (with her naive beauty) seems a possible next victim if the murder is not solved in time.

During the second half of the film there are hints that a boy from the village is the perpetrator, but also main character Johan himself (played convincingly by Gerrit Knobbe, also a reed cutter in real life, in his debut performance) is not free of all suspicions.

This gives the second half of the film a somewhat eerie feeling. There are many memorable scenes, in which memorable not always means good. Below some examples.

There is an uncomfortable scene in which Johan gives Aleida a ride home. The scene is rather long, without much dialogue but in my experience full of tension.

A remarkable scene is the schoolmusical in which Johan's granddaughter Dana participates. In many instances such a musical gives a hint about the main story. Here it doesn't.

Incomprehensible is the scene about the washing machine of Johan and its aftermath. This scene in particular can disorient the viewer and reduce the overall appreciation for the film.

The film derives its title from a type of landscape that really dominates the first 10 minutes of the movie and returns after that for a couple of times. Some people undoubtedly will find the landscape scenes too slow, but I found them beautiful and fascinating. It made me think of the Japanese movie "Onibaba" (1964, Kaneto Shindo), in which it is not so much reed but pampas grass that dominates the scenery.

When the director wants to say something but won't make it clear ( maybe I am too blind ) , I don't think I can say the movie is bad or good because simply I miss the full story but what I can say is the cinematic experience with visual, atmosphere and acting was really interesting and felt unique .

Big admiration to the main actor what amazing performance also the director for choosing him and helping him getting this final look.