Joy is an emotionally damaged young woman of eighteen, who was given up at birth, to grow up in homes and with foster families. She lives on the fringes of society, getting by on benefits and earning a little extra by playing the accordion in the subway. In addition, she is a skilled shoplifter and has never been caught.
Acting
Samira Maas says everything with her guarded eyes.
Direction
De Jong refuses easy redemption, respects Joy's anger.
Sound
Accordion as lonely cry through concrete tunnels.
Director
Mijke de Jong
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Samira Maas was a complete unknown discovered at an open casting in Amsterdam; de Jong wanted raw, untrained authenticity.
Part of a wave of Dutch 'poverty realism' in the 2010s, influenced by the Dardenne brothers but distinctly female in gaze.
NL
