Nine-year-old Thomas, along with his rebellious sister and timid mother, is kept down by his strictly religious father. In this film for young and old, he uses his vivid imagination to escape this oppressive reality.
Happiness starts with shedding your fears, nine-year-old Thomas (Brandon River Coene) learns in this adaptation of Guus Kuijer’s autobiographical youth novel. Thomas grows up in the changing city of Amsterdam in 1961. The yoke of the war is slowly cast off and the hip neighbours have even purchased a television set. How different things are at Thomas’ home, where his strictly religious father (Daan Schuurmans) holds sway and keeps Thomas down in all sorts of ways. Using his fertile imagination, Thomas finds a way out, and perhaps even a solution to his dad’s tyrannical regime.
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Gouden Kalf nominees
Best Costume Design (2024)
Margriet Procee
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