“Nothing has changed, the world is still the same. You walk down the street, turn around the corner and everything is as it should be. Although still different enough.” The philosophy of the latest and tenth full-length film by Dutch grand master and multi-talent Alex van Warmerdam (‘Little Tony’, ‘Borgman’) could be summarised exactly this clearly or unclearly. The film has been made with exactly the kind of life-true humour as can be expected only from van Warmerdam.

We see a small group of actors rehearsing. There is a serious argument over something. Nerves grow taut. Tension fills the air. We are slowly, but steadfastly taken along with the characters of the film to the midst of their everyday activities where it turns out that everyone has a great secret to bear. Or does it seem like that only to Günter, the main character of the story (one of van Warmerdam’s favourite actors Tom Dewispelaere), an orphan found at the age of four in the woods of Germany, who feels that something is happening with him and therefore starts suspecting that everyone is conspiring against him? Who are these people who seem suspicious to Günter? Is it just the man’s paranoia or are there actually grounds for his suspicions?

Let us not tell any more of the content, as that was also the producer’s request to those who will be promoting the film. The best way to enjoy this film is to know and read about it beforehand as little as possible – to start from a clean slate, so to say. One thing that is certain is that ‘No. 10’, which finished shooting just before the beginning of the corona pandemic, is Alex van Warmerdam in his best spicy sauce. The Dutch grand master is in the best form of his life and shows that 69 years of age is never too old for making wild and funny films for those who still appreciate good old-school absurd humour.

Helmut Jänes