Keep Off

Keep Off

Film poster
Directed by Maria Peters
Written by Maria Peters
Carry Slee
Starring Sem Veeger
Matthijs van de Sande Bakhuyzen
Release dates
  • 5 October 2006
Running time
 100 min.
Country Netherlands
Language Dutch

Keep Off (Dutch: Afblijven) is a 2006 Dutch children's film, based on the children's novel Afblijven by Carry Slee. The film, much like the book, explores drug abuse by adolescents and the negative effects it has on their lives.

The film received a Golden Film (100,000 visitors).

Plot

14-year old Melissa (Sem Veeger) pretends she's taking ballet lessons, to please her strict father, while she is in fact a hip hop dancer. She is given the opportunity to audition for background dancer in a video clip, but grows uncertain of her abilities. A newly met friend, Jim, gives her XTC, which enhances her performance. She is then selected to be in the music video. Her close friends Jordi and Fleur watch as Melissa becomes dependent on both XTC and Jim, who is now her new boyfriend, but can't convince Melissa she is making a wrong turn. At the music video shoot, Melissa fails to perform as well as she did before due to a lack of XTC and leaves the set. She has a fight with Jim and disappears soon after.

As Jordi tries to find Melissa, she calls him and states she will be fine and she'll be at her "house" tonight. As the call was cut off, Jordi grows even more concerned and figures out where Melissa will be as he finds a poster announcing a "house party" the same night. Hoping to find Melissa, Jordi attends the house party, only to see Melissa being treated by paramedics and taken to the hospital in critical state. Melissa ends up in a coma while Jordi finds out poisonous drugs were what caused her to collapse at the house party. After Melissa wakes up from her coma, Jordi convinces himself something needs to be done and enlists the police in order to arrest Melissa's boyfriend Jim. It is revealed Jim distributed the poisonous drugs. Jordi then finds it difficult to become romantically involved with Melissa, but ultimately gives in.

Cast

External links