Het zwijgen - Man-kind

The title Man-kind (Man-Child) is taken from a poem that was written and is read by Tobias Breekveldt. It is addressed at a man by whom Breekveldt was sexually abused in his childhood, during his annual stay with the circus. Breekveldt, now thirty, still has to learn to cope with his memories of the fear he felt back then and with his feelings of anguish and rage today. In one-on-one conversations with a friend and his mother, it is obvious how vulnerable he is - despite his eloquence. Director David Blitz, also a victim of child abuse, contrasts these highly intimate images with scenes of a concert, at which the singer Breekveldt, extroverted and happy, is entertaining a large hall with an enthusiastic audience. By showing Breekveldt's strength, courage and his weaknesses, Blitz wants to break the taboo that prevents boys from talking about their being abused.