Nynke

14:00
Erasmus Huis
Jl. HR. Rasuna Said Kav. S-3
T 524-1069

Karya : Pieter Verhoeff, 2001, 110 menit
Pemain : Monique Hendrickx; Jeroen Willems; Peter Tuinman; Rients Gratema; Carine Crutzen; Joke Tjalsma; Porgy Franssen

Nynke adalah sebuah film tentang Sjoukje, penulis & istri seorang penyair, pengacara politisi Belanda terkenal Peiter Jelles Troelstra dan tentang kehidupan mereka yang membingungkan. Bagaimana seorang perempuan berjuang untuk kemandiriannya & dapat membuktikan bakatnya sebagai penulis.

The strong face and character of Dutch thesp Monic Hendrickx as a famed Dutch children's author bolsters the rather predictable script of costumer "Nynke," 2001's Dutch entry for the foreign film Academy Award. Shot in the historically correct but little-spoken lingo of Friesland, northern Holland, from whence veteran director Pieter Verhoeff ("Sunday Boy") hails, pic has been doing solid business since its Sept. 6 release, despite being subtitled even for Dutch viewers. Beyond home territory, its crinoline feminism could pique the interest of art venues and pubcasters.

Set a century ago, narrative is propelled by its feminist angle, as Nynke van Hichtum (Hendrickx) -- pen name of Sjoukje Bokma de Boer -- impulsively falls in love with Pieter Jelles Troelstra (Jeroen Willems), an otherwise idealistic socialist politician-poet. She marries him, only to find her talent and independence quashed by his old-fashioned ideas about women.

As Pieter's career soars, Nynke is tied down by the births of two children, which does nothing to placate her yearning to make a mark in life. Hendrickx, who resembles Julia Roberts, portrays a woman with the high-strung temperament of a racehorse and a keen intellect that is systematically dismissed by society, even by some other successful women.

Overcome by contradictory feelings toward her family, she thrusts her hands into burning coals, signaling a nervous breakdown. She's then committed to a fancy institution where psychiatrists tell her husband that she's permanently unbalanced. But through the encouragement of some enlightened women of the time, Nynke perseveres in her writing ambitions.

Verhoeff's script follows the biographical facts closely, but more poetic license might have given the heroine more scope for action. Given the expectations raised from the beginning, Nynke's final self-liberation from her faithless spouse feels like too little too late. Still, Verhoeff turns her painful wrenching away from a bad marriage into a heroic act with which many women will identify.

Paul van den Bos' lighting recalls period paintings, and Anne Winterink's graceful sets give the film a strong historical ambience.