Whodunit Wednesday: Film

As a New Years starts some people look to the various awards ceremonies for film which will soon be talked about. People will watch other people walk down a red carpet, listen to names presented and decide if a movie is worth watching or not - sometimes simply based on whether there has been an award or not. 

The Dutch-language world is quite small, so although there is a Dutch-language film market, most Dutch-language film makers make their films in English. Paul Verhoeven known Dutch filmmakers include Paul Verhoeven was a film director who was successful with both Dutch-language films and within the world scene. Although his movies not be ones you might have seen, they were well received within the film world and include: RoboCop, Total Recall, Starship Trooper, Hollow Man and Basic Instinct. 

Dutchman Theo Van Gogh is best known perhaps because of his name and the fact that he was assassinated because of his film content. He made controversial films about controversial politicians. The film for which he was murdered was about women in Islam and their treatment. 

Jan de Bont is another Dutch film director, perhaps best known for his action films Speed and Twister, but he also worked as director of photography on films such as Die Hard, The Hunt for Red October and Basic Instinct. 

For Belgians, the list runs a bit differently. Belgium is of course a multi-language market, serving both Dutch speakers and French speakers. The French-speaking market is much larger than the Dutch-speaking market. There have been plenty of directors within the French-speaking market who would not be known by English-speaking followers of film. 

Chantal Akermans is best known for her film ‘Jeanne Dielman’ which is considered by some in the film world to be one of the best films made. Others, like Akermans, have made their fame either in Dutch or French, including Stijn Coninx, the Dardenne brothers and Erik Van Looy. Van Looy directed his film ‘The Loft’ first in Dutch before also directing the US-remake. 

More recently films like “The Broken Circle Breakdown” and “Beautiful Boy” from Felix van Groeningen, “Girl” from Lukas Dhont, “Bullhead” from Michaël R. Roskam, and the “Bad Boys for Life” with Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah have brought Belgian filmmakers into the spotlight. 

Depending on what kind of film you might watch, what kind of film might garner an award (Foreign Language film, for example), or if a film is in English or not, you might have watched or be planning to watch a film by a Dutch or Belgian director. Sometimes the name might give it away (with a “van” or “de” in the middle), but you might not know unless you look into it a bit further. 

This I have learned

On the first Friday of the month we welcomed three brothers from the French-speaking church in Liege once again for an evening of singing in Maastricht. I always enjoy these evenings and getting to see our brothers. I especially enjoy seeing George and Leonie. They are a couple that has been working with the church for quite some time. 

The interesting thing about my conversations with George is that he speaks neither English nor Dutch. I speak very little French. But we communicate. Sometimes one of the other brothers comes over and translates. But often we simply try to make it work, doing our best with hands and feet. 

This time we also welcomed Richard Wolfe who was visiting in Belgium. Richard used to work with the church in Liege and still works with them from a distance (he and his wife live in Kansas). They left Belgium about a year after we arrived. I still remember some of his lessons and was always thankful for how he and his family served the Lord here and still do wherever they are in the world. 

This past weekend Richard was speaking at the church in Verviers (also in the French-speaking area of Belgium). Verviers is only about 20 minutes from Bible camp and we know the preacher there, although I have never visited the congregation or the building. For years Freed-Hardeman University has had an exchange program working out of the building there. I wanted to meet the church and I wanted to hear Richard’s lesson. But everything was going to be in French. If I can read French, I can do alright. But trying to speak French and understand when someone speaks to me is well outside of my comfort zone. 

Then I though of George and Leonie. They come every month to Maastricht - even though they know we will mostly be singing in English and Dutch. George just does his best. He knows that we are brothers. He loves the Lord and has always done his best to encourage those around with him the grace of God. I had experienced this often. 

So I drove to Verviers. Being a preacher helps when a sermon is in a foreign language. If you understand the names of the books of the Bible and numbers (one of the first things people learn in a foreign language), then you can follow quite a bit of what is being said. And I was touched by a great sermon. 

Afterwards several members introduced themselves and tried to make conversation. Some could speak some English. Others were able to speak German (which I can speak). Otherwise, we simply used hands and feet and the few words we could share. It didn’t matter. We were brothers and sisters together. 

God’s family is amazing. I am so thankful for George’s example of courage and faithfulness. I am thankful for the many times he and I have done our best to converse, no matter the difficulties. I am so thankful for the few French words I have in my vocabulary. Mostly I am so very thankful that God makes us a family. 

Where, Oh Where Wednesday - The International Triangle

We live in Belgium, just across the border from Maastricht, the Netherlands. This area is very international. The cities of Maastricht (Dutch), Liege (Belgian) and Aachen (German) are all within about 30 minutes drive of each other where this little boot heel of the Netherlands extends between Belgium and Germany. 

Maastricht is where the agreement was signed to make the Euro. This city was chosen because of the very international character of the region (it is called a Euregion). There are four or five different cultures combining in a very small area. Next to the Dutch area of Maastricht is the Flemish-speaking area of Belgium where we live. The Belgian city of Liege is in the French-speaking area of Belgium. Just south of Liege is the German-speaking area of Belgium, which borders Germany and the city of Aachen.

Aachen, or as some know it Aix-la-Chapelle, was the capitol of the Franks under Charlemagne. From 936-1531 it was where the kings of the Germans of the Holy Roman Empire were crowned. Tourists today visit the baths (from Roman times) and the cathedral where a holy relic exists of Charlemagne.

Liege, in French-speaking Belgium, was ruled by prince-bishops. Maastricht was jointly ruled by the prince-bishops of Liege and the dukes of Brabant. The city hall in Maastricht even has two stairways - one for each leader - and is built symmetrically so as not to bother either leader unduly. 

When we first arrived and went to market in Maastricht, we could pay with German marks, Belgian francs or Dutch guilders. Since 2000 the whole region uses the euro of course. The region is full of culture, history and natural beauty. Today it is in many ways joined, not only in history, but also in policy.