When parents separate it’s something that has a big impact on the children of the family. It’s difficult for them to understand and deal with. Tony 10 is a Dutch kids movie which tries to tackle the subject. It does so in an interesting way telling the story of Tony (who’s almost 10) and who thinks his father is having an affair with the queen.
His father is the owner of a succesful crane company who is asked to become minister. This means he’s away from home a lot and as time progresses Tony hears his parents argue more and more. Once he finds out his father is in love with another woman he tries to do everything to make things right again.
Director Mischa Kamp manages to tell this story in an engaging way for kids watching it. The fact that the boy can sneak into the palace and talk to the queen gives it a bit of magic in something which is basically a family drama. Just like Tony they will feel the hope Tony has, while the characters around him will talk about divorce (for example another kid who tells Tony that there are fun things about it as you get to go on holidays more and other examples). It also allows parents to who will watch this with their kids to talk about issues they might have. Personally though I thought the movie felt very simple (which might help for children of course) and I wished it would engage me a bit more.
Score: 6