19,99

It is 1999. A large fashionable hotel has thought up a sales stunt: any couple that wants to marry before the end of the twentieth century can spend their wedding night in the hotel for the bargain price of ƒ19.99. The response to the offer is enormous. On the night in question, a complete floor of the hotel is filled with newly-weds. It soon becomes clear that the campaign has attracted very different couples. From yuppies to the poor, from very young to aged, from an unmarried mother with a new man to spoilt brats, from very Dutch to mixed couples, from racists to Moroccan pairs, from strictly religious to gays. In other words, a nice cross-section of Dutch society now. In the course of the night countless contrasts become apparent not just between the couples, but also in their chance encounters in the corridors. Occasionally acid, sometimes tragic, but humour always comes out on top.ƒ19.99 is part of a series of four films that have been realised by the Dutch Film Fund, VPRO TV and several young production companies. The theme that links them together is the approaching new millennium. See also: The Polish Bride, Temmink and Tate’s Trip.