| Flodder | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Dick Maas |
| Produced by | Dick Maas Laurens Geels |
| Written by | Dick Maas |
| Starring | Nelly Frijda Rene Van 't Hof Tatjana Simic Huub Stapel |
| Music by | Dick Maas |
| Cinematography | Marc Felperlaan |
| Release date(s) | 17 December 1986 |
| Running time | 111 minutes |
| Country | Netherlands |
| Language | Dutch |
Flodder is a 1986 Dutch comedy film written and directed by Dick Maas, and distributed by First Floor Features. It is the first film in the Flodder franchise and is followed by two more films and a spin-off series. The film follows an anti-social, dysfunctional family who move to an affluent, upper class neighbourhood as part of a social experiment which results in mayhem as the Flodder family refuses to adapt.
Flodder’s absurd humour and politically incorrect satire ridiculing the Dutch welfare state resulted in mixed reviews. However it still attracts a cult following and in 2007 was admitted to the Canon van de Nederlandse Film. Flodder is also a Dutch word meaning blank cartridge, a referral to the Flodders looking dangerous and being noisy, despite being rather harmless.
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When it emerges that the Flodder family’s current state-owned house is on a toxic waste dump, the city council is forced to find somewhere to move them. Social worker, Sjakie, proposes to move the family to an upper class neighbourhood hoping that the change in social environment will have a positive effect on the problematic family.
However the family fails to adapt and persists in their anti-social lifestyle which clashes with the values of the reserved upper class inhabitants of the neighbourhood, who try everything in their power to get rid of the Flodders. This results in several confrontations between individual members of the family and the upper class inhabitants.
The town council, being aware of the problems the family is causing, starts looking into alternative living accommodations, although Sjakie keeps insisting that the family should be given another chance. In the meantime son Johnny starts a relationship with neighbour Yolanda Kruisman, much to the fury of her husband.
This culminates at a neighbourhood meeting being held to discuss how to get rid of the family. Johnny and Yolanda walk in announcing their engagement. They decide to throw a party where everyone is invited. Meanwhile the town council finds a suitable alternative house for the family, but Ma Flodder discovers she has inherited a large sum of money from Opa Flodder who recently died in a train accident. With the money she decides to buy the house they’re living in. The climax of the film is the engagement party, which is attended by everyone and quickly gets out of hand; the people from the neighbourhood however have a great time and finally start to appreciate the family as they are. In the mean time Yolanda’s husband goes to the army base where he works and takes one of the army tanks. In the finale of the film he destroys the house of the Flodders who take it with good humour.
Nelly Frijda as Ma Flodder
Huub Stapel as son Johnny Flodder
René van 't Hof as son Kees Flodder
Tatjana Simić as daughter Kees Flodder
Lou Landré as Jacques "Sjakie" van Kooten
Jan Willem Hees as grandpa Flodder
Nani Lehnhausen as Toet Flodder
Horace Cohen as Henkie Flodder
Herbert Flack as Kolonel Wim Kruisman
Apollonia van Ravenstein asYolanda Kruisman
Bert André as Neighbour Ed Neuteboom
Lettie Oosthoek as Neighbour Tilly Neuteboom
Although reasonably well reviewed, the film was considered controversial at the time, but has since gained cult status. It was admitted to the Canon van de Nederlandse Film in 2007. In 1987 it won a Gouden Kalf for best Art Direction.[1]
The film is followed by two sequels, Flodder in Amerika (1992) and Flodder 3 (1995). The spin-off television series ran from 1993 till 1998.
The film was translated into joual (a Quebec working class dialect) and distributed in Quebec under the title Les Lavigueur déménagent (The Lavigeurs are moving). The name Lavigeur was taken from a Montreal working class family who had made headlines in 1986 after winning what was then the largest jackpot ever awarded in a Canadian lottery.