Kyodai makes the big time

A tragic love affair within the fashionable nightlife of Amsterdam, made with minimal means and a minimal style. Thatis the feature film Kyodai Makes the Big Time. Director Ian Kerkhof himself described his visual style as: ‘Stark, direct, simple and empty’. Framing plays an important role. He regards the Spartan style as a metaphor for the feelings of the various characters who move in an virtually unfeeling world. He did not recoil from accepting the consequences of his minimal style in shots lasting minutes on end.Protagonist is Kyodai, a handsome young man who aspires to act in films. He has a relationship with Stephanie, a successful young dancer. Sexuality plays a major part in their relationship. Kyodai in particular does not seem to want to surrender himself entirely. He has several superficial affairs with others and gradually gets rougher in his contacts with Stephanie. Their relationship begins to show sado-masochistic traits.One of Kyodai’s affairs is with Colette, an old school friend of Stephanie. Colette is jealous of Stephanie’s success and doesn’t balk at breaking up the relationship between Kyodai and Stephanie. Kyodai eventually commits suicide and Stephanie is left on her own.Alongside these important characters are a number of others who appear in order to outline the fashionable surroundings: the junks Jelle and Abe, the androgynous mother figure Jeff and the good-looking hedonist Jacques. The film is set in various trendy locations in Amsterdam, although many events take place in the bedrooms of the protagonists.