Langer licht

This film is a very real life story with no special effects but it's still intriguing. Not everything is logical but then again, it's the same in life. Several 'hints' in the movie in certain directions aren't followed up so the entire movie looks a bit messy. It doesn't have a lot of 'speed' but for viewing it on a Sunday morning it's perfect.

It's nice to see that the characters are no heroes nor bad guys but just ordinary people. (I wonder what the casting director thought: the father and son don't look a like one single bit, maybe Mitchel was adopted?)

For people who think that in The Netherlands 'the sun always shines', please go see this movie.

Typical Dutch low quality drama. Very predictable. Pretentious. Actors are more intense and sincere in their performance. Seems in beginning like some unity. Like the photography. But director copied probably some films he liked and combined them into a new "film". Wants to be an artist without any idea or real personal interest. This David Lammers lacks own personality. No any extra layers in it. Not worth watching. Only good for Dutch critics (and the so called creative broadcaster who sponsors them). They like it to praise such film since they think its art. Langer Licht has no any real interesting or expressive moments in which as a viewer you will get into atmosphere of the film.

I read about the film here and saw the high rating it got, just a couple of hours before I saw it in the theater. I kinda already knew it wasn't going to be worth the 9 stars it got here at that time. Did the cast and crew rate it themselves? I think so.

Because I didn't like it at all. The drama was much too easy, as it often is with Dutch art-house cinema. The first 20 minutes are okay. Interesting scenes, good acting (which remains). Then the turning point comes (that's not a spoiler, right?). Normal people start behaving as art-house character weirdos for a moment. The rest of the drama turns into slow scenes and long depressive looks. And a few minutes after the twist you already know how this story is going to end. So all that remained for me was being dragged through the rest of it. Good acting kept it from being totally boring and cliché. I'm happy its only 83 minutes.

I don't like Dutch movies, and this film illustrates why. They showed this film during an open air festival to celebrate something in Amsterdam North, the place where they shot this terrible film. The celebration didn't take long. Almost everybody left the place because the film was very, very boring. The actors did their best, but the storyline way too simple. Only a few people over eighty saw the whole film, but they were probably deaf or blind, or both. I don't think this film was in the theaters and I understand why. The only positive thing about the film is that it's only 83 minutes. I must say, it felt like three hours.

I saw this film years ago as part of the Seattle International Film Festival or SIFF as we call it. I went because it was a Dutch film, not knowing anything about it, and enjoyed it tremendously.

It was slow paced, which I enjoyed it for, without a lot of "plot"...something I have read it has received a lot of criticism for. I would argue that the plot may not be big, but it is deep and allowed you the room to think (ponder if you will).

The story is ultimately about a father-son relationship. The father is very taciturn and the owner/coach at a local boxing gym. His son is different. This causes some friction between the two. Machismo means everything to the one...while probably nothing to the other. That is a complex relationship. Love, protection, fear, hatred, hurt, anger...there is a lot in this film. Told almost entirely through expressions with very little dialogue, which didn't bother me because they are guys! How many guys do you know who are good about expressing their emotions and fears? Especially to other guys? This seemed natural and organic.

The best part of the film was the cinematography. I felt like this was a gorgeous summer postcard to Amsterdam-North which is separated from the bustling city by a river giving it a small town feel in a big city. So watch it for nothing else but that...and I think you will enjoy it.