This documentary places the viewer at the feet of Adriaan Ditvoorst a much-lionized darling of Dutch avant-garde cinema, a largely unsuccessful adherent of the auteur school of filmmmaking who took his own life in 1987. His films (such as Flanagan and White Madness) recognized no need to please or acknowledge audience wishes or the demands of commerce, and Ditvoorst was puzzled by and disdainful of the success of those who did. He found it incredibly difficult to find financial backing in the Netherlands for even the most modest film projects, despite his prominence, innovativeness and originality. After his wife left him, he sank into a depression. The documentary explores his life via film clips and interviews with those who knew him. Some of those interviewed assert that he might have done well if he had moved to France, others felt he was always depressive and self-defeating. Whatever else he was, he was definitely a committed idealist who suffered for his principles.
by Clarke Fountain
synopsis
