Two strangers, one bar, zero filters — Dutch cinema's most brutal first date.
A bartender watches with amusement as two strangers meet and duel verbally in his bar. Katya, a former dancer, is trying to forget the death of her young daughter. Pom, a comedian known for his verbal thrust and parry, tries to charm, shock and disgust his date in turn.
Acting
Fokker and Mascini's devastating verbal sparring match.
Direction
Van Gogh's unblinking single-location intensity.
Writing
Dialogue that weaponizes charm and cruelty equally.
Director
Theo van Gogh
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Theo van Gogh was murdered in 2004 by an Islamic extremist, making his unflinching examinations of human cruelty feel even more haunting in retrospect.
The entire film was shot in a real working bar during off-hours, with patrons sometimes visible through windows, blurring reality and performance.
NL
