Delicias Holandesas

If you're expecting erotica, you’ll come out well. The only thing preserved here is that naturalistic unattractiveness specific to the 70s and 80s and the mischievous yet cynical vivacity. And the familiar post-synchronization. What the protagonist engages in is more like LARP therapy, so it's quite fun in the end. The film's testimony to the practical impossibility of male/female cohabitation is probably an answer to the then freshly outed Albert Mol, the author of the source material, who even has a funny role here as an uptight would-be matchmaker. As well as being Verhoeven's feature debut, it's also the first major film by cinematographer Jan de Bont, whom Verhoeven later brought with him to Hollywood, where he subsequently enjoyed the kind of success from which he ultimately fell flat on his face once he tried directing. (15.03.2021)