Invisible scenes in a documentary about a freelancer with debts

A smooth man, with a touch of Frans Bauer in his face, stands in front of his closet and grabs a bright white shirt (Oger). Moments later, he is at the Hotel Le Grand in Amsterdam among other costumes. White wine, blows on the shoulders, jokes too hard, it is those who made it.

The man excuses and goes out: he must call urgently. With the collection agency. His sentence "Unfortunately, we often have bailiffs at the door", comes out painfully routine. This Serge is the protagonist of Fleur Amesz's 1945-1900 documentary (KRO-NCRV), presented as a film about poverty among freelancers. programs, series and films.

What is special about The beautiful appearance is that Serge and his wife Merel recognize the camera to all their misery. Confusing scenes come together: visit of the bailiff, the bottle of apple juice that Serge fills up at a gas station and pays with borrowed money, Blackbird that Serge summarizes to pay for it. one of their innumerable small debts, three children who have not been attending the dentist for years.

Both are freelancers. Serge fell deeply into business life after years of prosperity. He has been personally declared bankrupt and has huge debts. The house and the old BMW are in the name of Merel, but its revenues are obviously not enough to bring the family budget closer.

After ten minutes, Amesz exposes a disturbing sentence: "Serge wants to pay his huge debts with the profits of two start-ups." This is the moment when you think that it can not go well. Then you also see that [bf] is not so much about the financial problems faced by three hundred thousand independents, but drug addiction.

Serge is addicted to entrepreneurship. This is related to status and lifestyle, but also seems to be a separate addiction to him. While everything points to the need for income security in a paid job, he says. "I will continue because I have to do it, because I can."

Christian Investor

He persists in his professional roulette. Resolutely, Amesz mixes images of Merel, who gives a bottle of wine at the supermarket checkout with that of the sommelier explaining what wine (70% Fermentino, 30% Sauvignon Blanc) that Serge had sent to satisfy a wealthy Canadian.

bite when a Christian investor puts money in one of the startups. We see Serge blossoming by hearing him speak in a church (it is unclear whether his religiosity is prior to or after the injection of capital), a new kitchen is being torn apart and Serge decides to take a "representative" car.

It does not take long. A handful of scenes later, Serge borrowed 15 euros to his daughter. During a dinner, his sister told him that he had married her, she was already looking for a regular job. Then, it turns out that Christian investors can also unplug a project without looking at it or blushing.

Good documentaries often have one or two scenes in which the whole story is decided. The clean appearance is twenty, thanks to Amesz's keen eye and to the open-mindedness of Merel and Serge. The latter seems after the failure with the Christian give Merel the pressure to seek paid work.

But in the final scene, he only has a "job in the hospitality industry" and wants to do business again. Because his salary would be confiscated, it is reflected. Serge is far from being kicked out.