Plot
A vagrant enters the lives of an arrogant upper-class family, turning their lives into a psychological nightmare in the process.
Release Year: 2013
Rating: 6.9/10 (4,006 voted)
Critic's Score: 69/100
Director: Alex van Warmerdam
Stars: Jan Bijvoet, Hadewych Minis, Jeroen Perceval
Storyline
A vagrant enters the lives of an arrogant upper-class family, turning their lives into a psychological nightmare in the process.
Cast: Jan Bijvoet -
Camiel Borgman
Hadewych Minis -
Marina
Jeroen Perceval -
Richard
Alex van Warmerdam -
Ludwig
Tom Dewispelaere -
Pascal
Sara Hjort Ditlevsen -
Stine
Elve Lijbaart -
Isolde
Dirkje van der Pijl -
Rebecca
Pieter-Bas de Waard -
Leo
Eva van de Wijdeven -
Ilonka
Annet Malherbe -
Brenda
Gene Bervoets -
Gardener
Mike Weerts -
Arthur Stornebrink
Pierre Bokma -
Priest
Benjamin Boe Rasmussen -
Man with Dog
Trivia:
Official submission of the Netherlands to the Oscars 2014 best foreign language film category. See more »
Goofs:
After Camiel Borgman starts the chainsaw to cut down a tree, the chainsaw is clearly not running. See more »
User Review
Author:
Rating: 8/10
'Borgman' tells the story of a drifter (Jan Bijvoet) that slowly but
suddenly takes control of the lives of a young, wealthy family living
in a beautiful mansion somewhere in the Netherlands. The movie begins
with a scene in a forest, where Borgman, i.e. the drifter, and some of
his associates are chased from their underground hiding places by a
group of holy workers (lead by the-always-inspiring Pierre Bokma). Soon
after their escape, Borgman alone seemingly randomly knocks on the
doors of the houses of very wealthy people, asking if he can use
bathing facilities in their house. In attempt to do good after a brutal
beating by her husband (Jeroen Perceval), Marina (Hadewijch Minis)
helps Borgman by giving him temporary shelter in the garden shed. That
was all that the intimidating but darkly intriguing character of
Borgman needed to unfold his diabolical plans...
Although Borgman is a layered surrealistic film, and probably therefore
sometimes slow and hard to understand, its message is clear and the
story is continuously compelling. Especially intriguing are the
biblical aspects, which are always subtly present in the background,
and which give the film a dark, tense character. Not being a religious
person, the movie does trigger an interest in the spiritual, or better,
meta-ethics, which won't leave you alone for several days afyer having
watched it. The excellent performances of Jan Bijvoet and Hadewijch
Minis are crucial in delivering the very strong script.
I highly recommend this film to anyone who seeks a tense thriller.
Because, aside from the absurdist aspects, from start to the end the
movie is very exciting.
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