European Films

A radical Muslim took the life of outspoken Dutch director Theo van Gogh in November 2004, when he was working on the final edit of his latest film 06/05 (May 6th). Ironically, 06/05 is about another real political murder, this time of the popular right-wing politician Pim Fortuyn. He was killed at the hands of an animal and environmental rights activist on the sixth of May 2002 (hence the title). Van Gogh here offers us a conspiracy theory using the bare facts of the Fortuyn murder as a starting point for a thriller. The script of 06/05 was written by Van Gogh and crime novelist Tomas Ross and is based on a book from the latter, in which this particular theory was first put forward. Not being too familiar with the case and not having read the book, I cannot comment on the veracity of the facts presented here, but suffice it to say that they do somehow -- quite miraculously I might add -- work as a film.   

 

06/05 offers 30-something photographer Jim de Booy (Thijs Römer) as an entry point into the story. He happens to be making some pictures of a soap starlet (played by Georgina Verbaan, expertly channelling herself) just around the corner from what would become the actual crime scene of the Fortuyn murder, which takes places while De Booy shoots his pictures. Upon re-examing his photos of that day, he finds some very interesting material in the background, which lead him to investigate the case further. Trying to connect the dots, he comes across the Turkish immigrant Ayse Him (Tara Elders), who somehow seems to be at the centre of a web of intrigue that includes the Dutch Secret Services and an elite group of industrialists.

 

Van Gogh (Interview, 06) is known as an actors’ director and his strongest point has always the crackling, snappily directed dialogues. 06/05 has a few of these, but, being a thriller also features several chases on foot, by motorbike and by car, none of which are terribly exciting, with the low-point being a ridiculous chase through a subtropical pool complex in which some of the characters -- still completely dressed -- literally wade their way through hordes of swimmers and subtropical undergrowth. Van Gogh acquits himself so badly here it frequently seems to veer into parody territory.

 

Something which does work is Van Gogh’s penchant for overhead shots, which literally add another dimension to the story. As could be expected from the director, the acting of Elders and Römer is also excellent, with the latter particularly successful in drawing the audience in as his quest gets more complicated and -- towards the end -- rather silly. To fully hammer home their conspiracy theory, Van Gogh and Ross thought it necessary to include several talking killer/accomplice scenes that are completely superfluous, as are the Hollywood-inspired perfunctory romances, which never feel like more than obligatory stops lifted straight from screenwriting 101.

Despite all these shortcomings, there is a raw energy and zest at work here that makes the film interesting to watch throughout, which probably derives at least partly from Van Gogh’s (and Ross’s?) admiration for Fortuyn and his drive to make this film as good as it could be in his honour. His reverence for the politician almost borders on hero-worship, with real-life footage of Fortuyn being used throughout the film and shots of his funeral being played over the end credits. Wisely, they have kept their preaching about Fortuyn's politics to a minimum and mostly concentrate on the thriller elements of the story which takes places after the murder. Van Gogh’s own take on the multicultural, live-and-let-live aspects of Dutch society is cunningly shown in many of the film’s background scenes, in which ordinary people of all shades and from all walks of life try to get on with their own lives.