Nuisance (IFFR 2001)

A man performs infectious playlets for his surroundings. A court-jester without a king.

The protagonist in the film is an actor (René van het Hof) who is acting his life. He is a nuisance, but only for those who have had enough of his play acting or who are ashamed to be around this clown. His wife breaks up with him because she just can't tolerate the man any more and he seems to accept that in an apparently matter-of-fact way. He leaves the city for a cottage in the countryside. He soon has a new audience. The woman next door and her daughter are curious to make his acquaintance and are at once enthusiastic about the ingenious simplicity of the shows by this nuisance who is not yet a nuisance to them, but a welcome change in there all-too-ordinary life. The man plays with old-fashioned household objects such as metal buckets and checked teacloths, of which he seems to have an endless supply. The mother and daughter become so fascinated by this kind of inventive portrayal of everyday actions and thoughts that they also want to try their hand at acting. Then it becomes apparent that the nuisance has done his subversive jesting. The daughter finds a way in acting to free herself from the obvious dominance of her mother. Van de Staak's minimal style is very effective in showing the dry and comic performances. The result may be the most accessible and infectious film ever made by Van de Staak. (GjZ)