My journey of discovery of Dutch movies continues with Publieke Werken. A movie which didn’t really appeal to me. Even an interview I watched with the actors also didn’t manage to convince me. So not a film I would be buying in the shop, but when it appeared on Netflix over here I was willing to give it a chance. Especially because this is a Dutch movie which doesn’t seem to target women in the form of a romantic comedy, but tells a piece of Dutch history.
The movie is based on a novel with the same name and tells the story of three cousins. Violin builder Walter Vedder (Gijs Scholten van Aschat) lives right across the new Central Station of Amsterdam, which is being built. At the location his shop and house are the new Victoria hotel will be built. He starts negotiations in order to get a high price for his property. Because of his greed the negotiations are difficult. His cousin who lives in America drops by, Al Vedder, who helps people make the crossing to America. Walter discusses this with his other cousin, Christof Anijs (Jacob Derwig), when he is visiting him. Christof is a local pharmacist in Hoogeveen who cares a lot about the local, poor people working there. He regularly performs procedures which only a real doctor should do. Because of that he gets into trouble, not only legal, but also with his wife. Together with Walter he decided to make a plan to have the local workers make the journey to America.
Publieke Werken is set around the end of the 19th century and that era is brought to life well. The sets, for which part of Amsterdam was built in Hungary, are brought to life by using convincing CGI showing both central station and parts of the city. But of course the heart of the movie is its story, which focusses on both Walter and Christof and the issues they are struggling with. Relatively small issues, but which can have big impact on them. Thanks to great acting by van Aschat and Derwig Publieke Werken has become a interesting historical drama, which will make you differently at the centre of Amsterdam once you step out of the station and look at the Victoria Hotel.
