Mirte is a cleaner in the reception centre for asylum seekers near Schiphol Airport. Those entering the Netherlands as refugees stay ten days at most in this bunk-bedded vestibule to the promised land - a place and period that seems to stand outside of ordinary life.
This no-man’s-land suits Mirte. She is a woman damaged by life, snappy and defensive, who seeks a hold in the routine of the mop, even keeping her little boy at a distance. But when the West African Luc turns up, she has to lower her shield. Luc scratches her open emotionally. A cautious love blossoms, after which the farewell is even more painful.
The New World describes these grand emotions with expressive detail. The dialogue is sparse, the grey setting illustrative of a life on the fringe of society. The beautifully-maintained surly nature displayed by Bianca Krijgsman as Mirte ensures that this love-tragedy-in-ten-days does not get too sweet.
- Director
- Jaap van Heusden
- Premiere
- World premiere
- Country of production
- Netherlands
- Year
- 2013
- Festival Edition
- IFFR 2013
- Length
- 85'
- Medium
- DCP
- International title
- The New World
- Language
- Dutch
- Producer
- Marc Bary
- Production Companies
- IJswater Films, NTR
- Sales
- IJswater Films
- Screenplay
- Rogier de Blok, Jaap van Heusden
- Cinematography
- Jan Moeskops
- Editor
- Jasper Quispel
- Production Design
- Jorien Sont
- Sound Design
- Marco Vermaas
- Cast
- Bianca Krijgsman, Issaka Sawadogo
- Website
- http://www.ijswater.nl/films/projects/info.php?project=147