De onterechte kampioen

Dutchman Huub van Bijnen walks through Ostend; with childlike joy, he stands in a toy shop or an amusement arcade. The camera films his furrowed face with its obsessive gaze in close-up. Van Bijnen's remarks are full of repetitions and platitudes and at first hearing seem incoherent; he seems to be a rather awkward person. For example, he stands stock-still on a square, one fist stuck in the air. The images are shown at an accelerated speed, passers-by whizz by. Gradually, the situation becomes clear: Van Bijnen takes part in a competition for living statues. Cloaked as the Statue of Liberty, he presents himself to the jury. When he learns that the popular fountain man, a formidable rival, is secretly sitting on a small chair concealed under his attire, Van Bijnen explodes with fury. In this portrait, directors Theo Maassen and Marco Jansen reveal the emotions slumbering within a seemingly imperturbable entertainer.