Produced by Marc van Warmerdam
Written by Alex van Warmerdam
With: Jan Bijvoet, Hadewych Minis, Jeroen Perceval, Alex van Warmerdam, Tom Dewispelaere, Sara Hjort Ditlevsen, and Pierre Bokma
Release Date: 29 August 2013
Color/Aspect: Color / 2.35 : 1
Editing: Job ter Burg
Music: Vincent van Warmerdam
Runtime: 113 min
Release Date: 29 August 2013
Aspect Ratio: 2.35 : 1
Color
Dutch writer/director Alex van Warmerdam’s Borgman is an intriguing blend of domestic drama and crime thriller. Evoking equal parts Michael Haneke, David Lynch, and Jean Renoir, yet distinctively singular in its approach, Borgman tells the story of an interloper who has a profound effect on the upper-class family whose lives he takes over. The pitch black comedy is tinged with elements of horror and psychological nightmare, which succeed in unhinging the audience with its creepy, unpredictable narrative. A few of the film’s images are as striking as anything I’ve seen on screen in many years. We never fully enter the world of Borgman, because some of the characters’ motivations are not made credibly understandable to a point where we can fully buy into their actions. Thus the audience watches this film from a somewhat reserved distance. But this is not a movie interested in being entirely logical or authentically scary. Warmerdam’s goal seems more to be subversive, shocking, and funny--in this he succeeds.
Produced by Marc van Warmerdam
Written by Alex van Warmerdam
With: Jan Bijvoet, Hadewych Minis, Jeroen Perceval, Alex van Warmerdam, Tom Dewispelaere, Sara Hjort Ditlevsen, and Pierre Bokma
Release Date: 29 August 2013
Color/Aspect: Color / 2.35 : 1
Editing: Job ter Burg
Music: Vincent van Warmerdam
Runtime: 113 min
Release Date: 29 August 2013
Aspect Ratio: 2.35 : 1
Color
★★★★★
One of the 5000 greatest films. Usually only awarded after repeat viewings, so there are more five-star films from decades past than recent years.
★★★★☆
An excellent film. Possibly one of the 5000 and certainly worthy of repeated viewing.
★★★☆☆
A good film well worth seeing. Films listed at the top of this ranking could end up one of the 5000.
★★☆☆☆
A disappointment, an interesting failure, or just a bad movie. Still, maybe worth seeing: I often enjoy the top two-star films in a given list more than the bottom three-star films.
★☆☆☆☆
A bad, rant-worthy film. Should be avoided regardless of hype or talent involved.
☆☆☆☆☆
One of the worst films.
