Claustrofobia

Don't be fooled by the high IMDb rating for this movie as it's just a sorry attempt at a 'thriller'.

All thriller clichés pass the revue, so you're watching with a 'been there seen that' attitude. The 'script' (really, there was a script here ?) is laughable and has so many holes that you wonder at the end of the movie: "really, he did all this but couldn't come up with 1,000,000 easier solutions to avoid this mess ?".

The acting is bad and none of the characters is portrayed in a way that you would sympathise with them.

All of the above results in a movie that's watchable, but not enjoyable.

Top-notch Dutch thriller. Story involves Eva, a first-year veterinary student and aspiring actress. Just after moving into a new apartment, she finds herself captured and chained to a cot by a nameless/faceless abductor.

And that's really all you can say about the plot without giving too much away. The story kept me surprised all the way, and I've seen hundreds of thrillers. Every time you think you've settled in and know where it's going, it makes a twist, and every one of them makes perfect sense within the context of the film. The acting (especially from leads Carolien Spoor and Dragan Bakema) is solid and believable and this is an outstanding thriller from beginning to end.

And just to make clear for those who might make assumptions based on my limited synopsis -- although it does involve someone trapped, this is in absolutely no way part of the "Torture Porn" genre (although I hate that name, you all know what I mean). Not in any way, shape or form.

Overall, "Claustrofobia" is a superior thriller and definitely worth seeking out. Apparently, this was originally an on-line film, but it's available on DVD from Amazon with clear, removable subtitles.

Carolien Spoor is quite a good actress (such as in Black Tulip), but the script is truly terrible and thus does not give her room for good acting. After 40 minutes we all know who the bad guy is, but even after 5 minutes the plot can be predicted, which is full of plotholes.

This movie has been made to be shown only online and is free to watch. The director (Bobby Boermans) had decided to do this, because he felt he could produce his film quicker without all the distribution channels making demands about, for example, the cast. Therefore he decided only to have an online release. A lot of people thought him crazy to do this, as they thought he would miss out the opportunity to show his feature-length debut on the big screen. But it seems his strategy is starting to pay out, as he receives a lot of press because of it, making this a bold but interesting way to promote his movie.

The movie, which runs about 90 minutes, is about a girl named Eva who moves into a new apartment. After a night out she falls asleep on her couch and wakes up in a strange room, bound to the bed. This is the start of a suspense filled movie with an excellent cast.

As the plot unfolds you have no idea why Eva is held captive, making the movie really worthwhile to watch. The soundtrack is great which adds to the quality as well.

The only thing missing, in my point of view, is the fact that you really don't know much about the characters. But as it is a thriller this is just a minor nuisance.

I enjoyed it very much and hope to see much more of this director.

What to expect from a movie from the Netherlands? Well despite the lower budget they have to make movies this one is for sure an enjoyable thriller. I wasn't expecting much of it but was surprised. Well written with good actors. Certainly much better then all the garbage movies they try to push down our throat. I could think about thousand lousier thrillers with a much higher budget so credits to this dutch director. All in all from the three movies my wife and I watched that day this one was for sure the best one. There were twists and turns and it wasn't so predictable like so many horror movies are. If you want a nice thriller on a cozy rainy day then this movie is for you.