OK, so I was going to log on and write a decent review of this film, which I saw over the weekend at the European Independent Film Festival, and then I see its listed as a comedy. WHAT?! There was not even an aspect of a joke throughout this film, unless the director had an incredibly sick sense of humour.The film is basically about a happy couple, Lea and Harry, who decide to have a baby after 6 years together (despite Lea not being too enthusiastic about it), anyway, Lea has a terrible time in labour and has to be (as they put it) "ripped from front to back", once they return from the hospital Lea is obviously a changed woman, she seems detached and quiet and pays almost no attention to their newborn son, Junior. Anyway, after the traumatic childbirth, Lea tries to kill their son by suffocating him and hiding him in a box and then happily saying to her husband "its just the two of us now" in the next few scenes she also tries to drown the boy and is tempted to suffocate him in his sleep. Harry then submits her to a mental institution where we find out more about her troubled childhood.I admit that the story has a great plot, the actors do a great job and the story makes a lot of sense, but I cant help but be disappointed with the tacky, happy ending, in which everything is back to normal and they're a happy family once again. Also, there were a lot of aspects in the film, particularly during the childbirth and mental institution scenes which were quite disturbing and uncomfortable to watch, and actually made me feel quite ill.It is a decent film, and if you like the sound of it, i'd give it a watch, although i'm pretty sure I won't be watching it again anytime soon.

I was debating whether or not to walk into this movie. I had no idea what this movie was about and I was tired and there was another movie I wanted to watch at the local film festival. Sometimes in life though...you make good decisions, and I'm so glad I took the plunge.I have to say that the main reason to watch this film is for Carice Van Houten's wonderful performance. She covers the gamut of emotions as Lea, a happily married woman confronting her own demons and emotions after the undergoing the traumatic birth of her first child. She takes her character in directions that are totally unexpected. It is vibrant and wonderful. There is an initial prejudice, of course, in that she so very attractive, physically, but she portrays Lea so convincingly, with so many dimensions....that as the movie went along, she became even more beautiful, if that's possible. At the end of the film, you felt as if you've been cleansed.The idea that there are so many good movies out there, so many good books, so much good art..that I have not yet encountered makes me excited. I'm so happy that there is always the possibility of finding small gems like this out there, made by people with great care, for the betterment of the world.

Lea, played by Carice van Houten, is a stewardess married to Harry (Waldemar Torenstra) who is in the real estate business. Their life seems to be going well, they live in a nice spacious home and they have a happy marriage that they consume regularly (as shown in the first couple of minutes, keeping with the Dutch tradition). Then they decide to have a child and Lea falls into a postpartum depression...Contrary to what IMDb might say, this is certainly not a comedy. It has some moments which light up the film, but I merely smiled when they were on screen. They were brilliant, yes, but not meant to cause a moment of hysteric laughter, something I associate with the label 'comedy'. I'd much rather label this solely as a drama and romantic film.Carice van Houten, probably Holland's most popular actress of today (and for good reason), has delivered. She is phenomenal in every scene, whether she has to be happy living her perfect, glossed-over life before the baby, or having a difficult birth, or playing an utterly desperate woman. She's so very believable that you can't help but love her character, even though this is a difficult subject and some of her actions would be incomprehensible otherwise. It's the genius of the scriptwriter and Carice's acting that makes you understand and sympathise.Waldemar Torentstra does his job very well, and being unfamiliar with his work I am definitely interested in seeing more of him. However, I don't know if the script asked for this but, I'd have loved to have him be a bit more extreme in some scenes. I feel like he's been holding back, and while I'm not sure if he's been asked to do so by the director I think it would have been a good decision to completely let go in some scenes, giving the film that little extra push. Having said that (I don't want to give anything away) maybe this is just a matter of personal preference.Overall, this film gripped me in a way no other Dutch film has done for me so far. Of all films I've seen in my lifetime, this film definitely holds one of the top spots. I was blown away and would recommend it to anyone, whatever language you may speak, just get a DVD with subtitles.

For all those people who have read the description of this movie, discard everything you've read. I got the DVD in as a gift from my employer and wasn't too thrilled about it, but still took time to see it. The characters are very likable, at least most of them. Carice van Houten did an excellent performance as 'Lea' the main character. She had a very hard time giving birth, she was exhausted both mentally and physically which lead to a state of depression and somewhat hatred towards her 3 day old son. The story starts out happy and shows the life of a young carefree couple, both with successful careers. This scenario changes quickly after the birth of 'Junior'. A compelling series of events follows, 'Harry' Lea's husband can't trust Lea around her son anymore and consists that she gets treated in a mental institution. Her problems have a deeper background, the hunt for her problems have begun. ~ Overall was it a nice movie to watch, mainly because of the good performances and the urge to find out what causes Lea's problems. Between all the drama, Lea was able to show humor and progression, this element of the movie kept you watching it with content, the 2 hours flew by quicker than i thought. Story: 7/10 Performance: 9/10 Humor: 8.5/10 Technical: 8/10