The Pupil
A topic that cannot be ignored.
Twelve-year-old Daan’s passion for football transforms into a nightmare when his trusted coach Ries (45) methodically manipulates him into a web of abuse and secrecy. Inside Daan’s turbulent emotional world, validation and special attention gradually intertwine with shame and secrecy. As Ries’s predatory behaviour escalates, Daan retreats into isolation, trapped between loyalty to his mentor and the crushing weight of his hidden trauma. When the unthinkable truth finally surfaces, Daan must navigate not only his own devastating shame but also face the community’s conflicted response.
Karin Junger (1957) started out her career as a documentary filmmaker with the prestigious Joris Ivens Award at IDFA for her film “Birthplace Unknown” (1988). Karin went on to make multiple documentaries, many of them for Dutch broadcasters, and fiction films. Her short film “Great!” (2003) won the Silver Bear at Berlinale. Her first feature “Bolletjes blues!” (2006) was shown at New York Film Festival, Netherlands Film Festival and Cairo Filmfestival. Her fiction film, “10 Songs for Charity” (2021), had its world premiere at Giffoni Film Festival. Her work has a strong sense of urgency and social commitment and inventiveness in style and themes. Her latest documentary, “Free Space”, released in 2024, is about cancel culture in the arts. “The Pupil” is her third feature film.
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