Noordeinde - Zuideinde

In this film, seven young people are followed who were born in the sixties. Another characteristic they have in common is the village of Grootschermer in North Holland, where they were all born and raised. The shootings started six years ago, when the boys and girls were just leaving secondary school. Each has his or her own expectations or goals. One of them makes a trip around the world to learn how to be independent and to break loose from the village. Another marries almost rightaway and buys a house. A third one declines the dubious honour of becoming a bar owner and plans his future on the sea. The film registers the changes in these people's expectations. Their ideas, illusions, relationships, and career planning are fleshed out differently from what they had expected. The first children are born and choices must be made about the division of tasks: who will reverse his or her ambitions? This appears to be the woman. The girls in the film have difficulties obtaining a satisfactory position. One of them notes that the village mentality keeps them from pursuing a career. "You will marry anyway, so what's the use?" After six years, stock is taken of the people's intentions and experiences. Some have achieved more than they had ever hoped for, others resign themselves to their fates and accept the fact that future years will not bring many changes, either. Noordeinde-zuideinde is a fascinating documentary about time slipping by. (International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam)