Go back to Holland in the suxties at where we are in a small part of some village and where we follow the lives of some inhabitants. They are all normal people with very strange behaviours...a postman who opens and reads the letters he has to deliver, a butcher who is longing for sex that can't be given by his overcatholic wife (and their son who is only interested in the politics from Belgian Congo), a woodwatcher who thinks he can make the world a better place to watch the woods in a machoway but fails to please his woman in bed, a schoolteacher who seems to be bored by everything he does...and little by little we see that all these lives are related whether they want it or not, they all wanna go their own way but are stopped by the ruling hiphophrisy from the streets they're living in. "De Noorderlingen" is a quite interesting movie that has great moments but sometimes looses itself into surrealism in a Bunuelway that spoils a bit the movie (the son who thinks he's a prime minister from Congo for instance) but all by all I liked this black comedy. Belgian viewers will be longing to see a very beautiful (and young) Veerle Dobbelaere starring here!

I had a great time watching this black comedy which ranks high up there with the finest of the genre. It's not like any other movie I have seen before, but I think that if you like a movie like Delicatessen, you will also enjoy this one. I only wish it were available on DVD!

don't try to understand this movie if you haven't lived in holland for a considerable time, this movie portrays in a very ironical way, the narrowminded attitude of the dutch people in the 60's. it is sharp and down to earth at the same time. i don't think non-dutchman will appreciate this movie, but you can always try! i am from holland and i thought it was a brillant satire, with good perfomances of a few well known dutch actors (including the director who also plays the role of the postman).i give it an 8 out of 10.

Alex van Warmerdam is one of the very few Dutch directors whose films I can bear to watch. He has created a number of very good absurdistic movies (Abel, de Noorderlingen, de Jurk, kleine Teun), of which I liked de Noorderlingen best; its weird scenes are evidence of a wonderfully imaginative and free mind. Van Warmerdam has something of a voyeur, a trait which influences all his movies; what better setting could he choose than a hideously Dutch, `modern' village where all the people are continually spying on each other through their large front windows. Yet if you expect that all magic would have disappeared from such surroundings, think again.... there are fairies in the woods nearby and one inhabitant turns out to be holy.I can tell you from personal experience that there exist Dutch people with a sense of humour, but if you don't believe me be sure to go and watch this movie.