Character (1997) User Reviews (73)

A Very Subtle Character Study

[Tom Murray · 9/10 · 6 October 2001]

How is it possible for a boy, whose parents are devoid of normal humanity, to grow up to be loved and respected? The film, Character, presents a credible demonstration. It has the darkness of Ingmar Bergman or Charles Dickens, is slow-moving, thoroughly engrossing and it left me emotionally drained, which always elicits a high rating from me.

Dreverhaven is apparently an evil man: a bailiff who is quite willing to evict people in a terrible storm. He embodies two Nietzschean concepts: 1.

the will to power (he entered into power struggles with anyone whom he felt he could dominate) and 2. that a life becomes better by becoming stronger through adversity (he did everything in his power to bring adversity to his son, believing that that would strengthen him--and in many ways it did). His internal struggle between the will to power over his son and his desire to strengthen him is the prime mover of the film; his son's reactions to that are the core. Dreverhaven is also totally fearless; the question arises whether it is caused by bravery or just being tired of life.

The film opens with his son, Jacob Katadreuffe (Fedja van Huêt), coming home, all bloody, only to be arrested as a suspect in the murder of Dreverhaven. He then tells the two interrogators a most amazing story. Since he is describing his own life, one might suspect that he is embellishing the story in his own favour but I believe that he was totally candid.

The story is too complex to dwell on but certain aspects must be mentioned. Jacob's mother, Joba (Betty Schuurman), was a servant to Dreverhaven. On one and only one occasion he may have raped her: it is not made clear if she resisted. As soon as she discovered that she was pregnant, she left him and tried to sever all ties. For a long time, however, Dreverhaven repeatedly proposed marriage and was refused. His motivation is ambiguous (propriety or affection) and Joba was apparently determined not to allow Dreverhaven to beat her in a power struggle.

Because of his Mother's silence, young Jacob believed that she did not like him and, being a pariah because he was illegitimate, he turned to books for solace. Through this he developed a love of learning and a willingness to work hard and he advanced rapidly in a law firm, winning the respect and admiration of most of his colleagues, especially De Gankelaar (Victor Löw), who hired him. De Gankelaar, a man with a huge underbite and a heart to match, became Jacob's mentor, adviser and protector.

Denied access to his son, Dreverhaven began a game of terror against Jacob through legal channels.

The film is a study of character and characters. Their motivations are subtly hidden by consistent and superb acting. In my attempts to understand this dysfunctional family (if it can be called a family) I was forced to think. The slow movement allowed time for that. I want to see the film again, expecting that each viewing will bring a closer understanding. Even the evil Dreverhaven was more an object of pity rather than despicable; his actions were caused more by ignorance of human sensitivities, a dogmatic respect for the law and an unusual philosophy rather than by malice. The film is open-ended. What will Jacob do with the rest of his life?

Stunning

[QueenMag · 9/10 · 5 January 1999]

Karakter is quite stunning on several levels. The cinematography is gorgeous - without the use of any noticeable special effects or surrealistic dream sequences. The quality of the filming surpasses that of most movies.

One of the best things for me (as an American) about watching foreign films is not knowing who most of the actors are, and this makes it easier to completely accept them as the characters they play. The two leads were outstanding, and the supporting characters (particularly Betty Schuurman as Joba, and Nans Kesting as Jan Maan) were very effective.

I found the story to be engrossing and - more than anything, the pacing amazed me. A person accustomed to reading classic novels would probably appreciate the way this film unfolded. There is a desire to reach the end, but no hurry.

For sure, this film wouldn't interest everyone, but I rank it among my favorite films. It deserved to win the Academy Award for Best Picture last year: for the story, for the performances, for the direction ... it's rare that one finds a movie so well-put together.

Perseverance

[diand_ · 8/10 · 1 August 2005]

Many people describe the movie as distant and cold. But that's exactly what the makers were aiming for to stay congruent with the 2 novels of Bordewijk where Karakter / Character is based upon. Bordewijk's style is often described as Nieuwe Zakelijkheid (best translation: New Objectivity, think Sinclair Lewis), a counter movement to the upcoming Expressionism in the 20s of the last century. Instead of the idealism of Expressionists more emphasis was put on reality, objectivity and facts in a sober and distant form with little room for frivolity, superficial beauty, sentimentality or explaining behavior. Not only does the style of the novels reflect this, the world the characters inhabit has the same characteristics. Viewed from this standpoint they made an amazing adaptation from a novel, correct in both style and content. But the movie defines more than an art movement, because the characters portrayed tell a lot about the Dutch in general, and this in a way also defines Dutch national identity.

The story itself is about perseverance. Jacob is the son of a relation without love. His parents never marry, the mother leaves soon after she finds out she is pregnant. His mother is stubborn, his father a man without compassion working as a bailiff. Both parents push their son in their own way, his mother almost drives him out of her home, his father lends him money thus starting a battle over the upper hand in their relationship. The father brings adversity to his son in the hope to make him stronger. In line with the style of the novel none of the characters ever experience love. In fact the whole movie contains not one passionate scene. The only character showing emotion (De Gankelaar, an excellent role played by Victor Löw) leaves the country. It has a Nietzschian philosophical angle with the debate of lightness and weight: Jacob's burdens give his life a meaning, but are the sacrifices worth it?

Location scouts did a wonderful job here, because Karakter recreates pre-war Rotterdam, a city almost totally flattened by the Nazis (There is a harrowing photo of the city after the bombardments with only the main church still standing). The production and art departments made the sets with their darkish colors fitting the form and content of the movie. The camera is used in a way to create some fluidity in the scenes: It almost never is static as with so many character dramas.

Fedja van Huêt as Jacob and Jan Decleir as Dreverhaven seem to understand what's going on here and act accordingly. Tamar van den Dop as Lorna is probably the greatest weakness in the movie, with a terrible diction and limited body movement she's miscast here.

Mike van Diem makes only one movie, wins an Oscar, and disappears almost from the earth. Although rumor has it he does some script doctoring in Hollywood, with his current production rate he will surpass even Malick. As for now, this is by far the best Dutch movie ever made.

In this film we are confronted with a perfect script if there ever was one!

[pedrito · 10/10 · 22 May 1999]

In this film we are confronted with a perfect script if there ever was one! Once again, talented screenwriters have proved that a fine novel can be transformed into a great film, without losing any depth in philosophical understanding or psychological subtlety. In 'Character', the paired tension between pride and guilt, as well as between pride and love, or guilt and love, or love and power, gives birth to an astounding and magnificent lesson in human character and behavior. The fact that Mike van Diem and Laurens Geels, two of the film's three writers, were at the same time -respectively- its director and producer, plays no small role in the success of the script, since the novel by Bordewijk was read -and rewritten- from the perspective of cinema, and not the other way around. The psychological themes are treated as variations in a symphony, presented in one of the characters and later developed in another, or presented in one form and then transmuted into another, as the brilliant treatment given to the self-destructive tendencies in the Dreverhaven character, or the extreme laconism in the mother-son relationship. Seen at a tropical country as Ecuador (my own), surrounded by a teenage audience that was led to expect something else; an audience which was only very slowly won by the tense and restrained 'northern', 'iceberg' pace of the film, 'Character' transformed the screen into a gigantic and painful mirror filled with reflections of the sorrows and sufferings of human nature. And finally those teenagers stopped crunching chips and sipping sodas, and started thinking. A '10' by any standard.

A very good film!

[BermudezLievano · 10/10 · 11 November 2000]

Character is one of the best period films I have ever seen, and the enormous quantity of very interesting aspects in it make it worth watching.

I saw this film with the natural curiosity that a best foreign film Academy Award arouses in many people, and I was really delighted and surprised (Altough, I must admit I had hoped Spain's Secrets of the Heart would win). The story is quite beautiful, and Mike van Diem created a very solid screen play based on well known Ferdinand Bordewijk's novel.

The film has some extraordinary moments; I must say that the one that impressed me most was the final scene of the film, a scene of great visual impact and also of an incredibly big narrative content; it is the scene that reveals the mystery behind the cruel A.B. Dreverhaven's behaviour.

The performances given out in this film are simply spectacular especially Jan Decleir's as Dreverhaven. I also think Betty Schuurman as Jacob's mother and Victor Löw as De Gankelaar are terrific. One more thing, the art design is beautiful; the image the film gives us of the 1930's Amsterdam is very powerful and very beautiful.

Not only is it a great film then, but it is a story that carries a lot of feelings, and will take you on quiet an emotional ride. I can only say this: enjoy it!

Dazzling and amazing drama-thriller!

[gevalher · 10/10 · 11 August 1999]

This is one of the best movies that I've seen till now. I was reluctant at first to see this movie, because it was not a "Hollywood" product, but after so many times seeing the trailer at the theater it picked my curiosity.

The story was set in Netherlands, and it develops unfolding the relationship between a father and his son. This was one of the best movies I've seen in a long time, because it touches the bottom of our hearts making thinking us (the public) about our own -sometimes- conflictive relations with our parents.

The two main stars gave us a duel as I've never saw before in a film, and to top all of this, the supporting characters were all believable as well as the magnificent locations.

This films really told a story, reflects well its age and overall has a well developed timing so you'll never lose interest in what is next, and has so many twists that your interest never decays. But I really liked the final one. This one only scene pays all the money and time you spent seeing it.

OUTSTANDING!!

Hauntingly beautiful character study

[typos · 10/10 · 28 July 2005]

This is a movie that grips right away. While it has a dark setting, sparse but classic, the characters are rich. The love and care that Mike van Diem and the actors put in this film is visible. Thanks to significant contributions from both Dutch and Belgian TV stations, this movie is a rare treat, which is for once not spoiled by overly commercial requirements from demanding advertisers... As i understand, the film company First Floor Features had this film for decade(s?) in the planning, and it is a happy coincidence that it was realized the way you can enjoy it now. It has thus become a monument honoring the fabulous writer F. Bordewijk, the Dutch life and mind of the beginning 1900's, the craftsmanship of a dedicated cast, and a generous producer.

Jan Declair as the stony-hearted usher Dreverhaven is a character you won't forget for a long time. His softer side is time and again rejected by taciturn Joba, his former housekeeper who became pregnant in one lonely weak moment of them both. For several years, he offers her to marry her, or at least to contribute for the upbringing of his illegitimate son Kattedreuffe. She as many times rejects: 'We do not need anything.' On a precarious occasion, Dreverhaven denounces Jacob Kattadreuffe nevertheless, and from that moment on, father and son have a harsh relation as well. -

Masterfully, fate intertwines their lives, as the story unfolds. Real gems are present everywhere, the scenery is breathtakingly picturesque, partly filmed in Rotterdam harbor, and in other places like Poland. The movie constantly plays with time, but in a plausible way. As an example, when Kattedreuffe has an appointment at a bailiff's office after being framed into bankruptcy, the name plate blinks at once with his own name on it. And indeed, he starts a career in this very office that same day.

For a while, the lives of father and son seem only occasionally to coincide, but it is a silence before the storm. Every picture draws to the dramatic end which was glimpsed as the opening scene: Did Kattadreuffe murder Dreverhaven? Many instances shown would allow this conclusion, as the two fatally attract each other to fulfill their inner tragedy. Dreverhaven as this hard and desperate 'keeper of the law' who can not express love, and Kattadreuffe as the one who had to fight his whole life to arrive in a higher position, and then stands empty-handed, his love unreturned through his own stupidity (even his mother sees that Lorna Te George / Tamar van den Dop was an exquisite relation missed).

To kill (!) each other would suddenly seem like the best possibility and a liberation in such a dark hour, but the end has a surprise. The last minute smooths all the giant waves, and allows for a satisfying and ingenuous end scene. - Maybe you have to see this movie more than once to uncover the many hidden treasures, i strongly recommend to get it for yourself on DVD. The music of 'Paleis van Boem' enhances perfectly the impressive scenery. It is an artwork that has more than earned the Oscar it has got as best foreign film in 1998, along with several other awards.

And i am proud to have been asked to participate with calligraphy and handwritten material, although it is only clearly visible in the last half minute when (my) hand writes the last words of the testament, undersigning with - (see for yourself!).

Beautifully filmed 1920's "Rotterdam"

[khatcher-2 · 7/10 · 10 April 2004]

It is not too frequent that we get Dutch programmes of films or TV-minis in this corner of Europe, and when they do appear it is thanks to the regional Basque TV Station `EITB'. Indeed over two years has passed since seeing the excellent mini `Charlotte Sophie Bentinck' (1996) (qv) and seeing the very interesting `Karakter' recently.

Set in the 1920's this film has excellent mise-en-scéne wonderfully photographed, mostly in Holland and Belgium, but with some scenes shot in Wroclaw, Poland, with street-cars of the times, in which the darkened almost greyish brickwork of the tenement buildings and the industrial port areas takes on an intense protagonism in the film's development. Palais van Boem's musical contribution is mostly just right, though at times seemed to be a little boorish.

A young, illegitimate boy grows up with his unmarried mother, whilst the father, Dreverhaven, continuously appeals to her to marry him, but always rejected. However, the father seems to do everything possible to disrupt the young man's life, as his mother becomes more and more detached and uncaring. It would seem that Dreverhaven is playing out a real-life game of chess around his son Jacob, as if trying to corner him into submission and apathy, but which the young man manages to survive. The psychological impression is that one or the other would undo his `bitter foe', but that despite the father's vast fortune and power the struggle of will would rebound against him.But as the Dutch saying goes: ‘De één zijn dood, is de ander zijn brood'

This is no `thriller' in the ordinary sense, more a psychological suspense which requires attention throughout. The acting is magnificent: both Fedja van Huêt and Jan Decleir play out their parts with just the right touch, especially Decleir, and Lou Landré as Rentenstein is almost spellbinding, not to be missed.

Here is another example of the unarguable fact: here in Europe we make cinema, not blockbuster box-office hits.

Stunning Dutch psycho drama

[Mikew3001 · 9/10 · 28 January 2003]

It's no wonder that this Dutch drama got the 1997 Academy Award for the best foreign country movie in the year of "Titanic". It tells the rise-and-fall-story of a young man in the Netherlands of the 1920's who's working hard to escape from the ghetto and to become an idealistic lawyer. Unfortunately his brutal an tyrannic father fights against him in any possible way, and at the end father and son are facing in a hard fight for life and death.

The story is great, the characters (sic!) of the plot even more, and the acting is pure adrenaline-driven. The whole atmosphere, supported by the dark filming locations of Amsterdam, Belgium, Germany (the Speicherstadt in Hamburg) and Poland, is disturbing and depressing. A great psycho drama and insight into the human psyche with a powerful performance by Jan Decleir as villain Dreverhaven that can easily compete with Anthony Hopkins' Hannibal Lecter movies!

slow and heavy

[dromasca · 6/10 · 18 January 2005]

My Dutch friends will forgive me, but I cannot share their enthusiasm for this film. I am not an action movies only fan, and I am well accustomed with European and art film styles. However, during the whole uneasy experience of watching this film I had a strange feeling. On one side I was watching an obviously well constructed and solid story, with good characters development and well acted - especially Jan Decleir in the principal villain role. On the other hand the story and moral seem so Dickensian in nature, the whole atmosphere is so rigid, the location so dark and cold that they seem to belong not even to the first half of the 20th century but rather to the 19th. The main story line is of a love-hate relationship between a father and his natural son. The naturalistic approach to the subject built no empathy with any of the characters. I did not understand well their motivation, but I know I have reasons to hate them - these are the feelings the film left me.

Over all a heavy and not so easy cinema experience. Worth watching for some of the acting skills. 6 out of 10 on my personal scale.

Needy of Fatherly Love

[claudio_carvalho · 8/10 · 1 February 2016]

In the 20's, in Netherlands, Jacob Willem Katadreuffe (Fedja van Huêt) has just concluded the law school and has an argument with the High Court Enforcement Officer Dreverhaven (Jan Decleir) at his office. Katadreuffe leaves the place covered in blood. On the next morning, he is arrested by the police for the murder of Dreverhaven. He claims that he is innocent and discloses the story of his life to the Chief of Police.

His mother Joba (Betty Schuurman) was the maid at Dreverhaven. One night, she is raped by him and a couple of weeks later she learns that she is pregnant. Dreverhaven proposes to marry her but Joba quits her job and leaves his house. Along the years, Katadreuffe is bullied at school and called bastard by his mates and his mother never talks to him. One day, he is involved by other kids in a theft of bread and arrested by the police. When he calls his biological father to help him, Dreverhaven tells the police that he does not know who Katadreuffe is. The boy is intelligent and learns English reading a superseded and incomplete edition of encyclopedia that was left behind by the previous tenants of his apartment. Katadreuffe is also ambitious and asks for a job in a law office, where he becomes the protégé of his mentor De Gankelaar (Victor Löw). Soon he falls in unrequited love with the secretary Lorna Te George Victor (Tamar van den Dop). Along the years, Dreverhaven uses his power to harm him. When he concluded his course, he decides to pay a visit to Dreverhaven to tell him that he has wined their dispute. May Katadreuffe have killed Dreverhaven?

"Karakter" is a dark film about a young man needy of fatherly love. The intercourse between his parents is never clear whether it was a rape, as per the trailer, or consensual sex. In the view of Katadreuffe, his mother has always been "mute". But maybe it could be a trauma for her only intercourse since she is a stubborn woman. Dreverhaven is a mysterious and ambiguous character. Is he only cruel or is he trying to harden his son to face the challenges of the brutal society where they live and be a winner? The screenplay is very well-written and keeps the attention of the viewer until the last scene. The cinematography, set decoration and art direction are perfect and bring the viewer to Netherlands in the middle 20's. The cast has magnificent performance highlighting Jan Decleir. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Caráter" ("Character")

What's Wrong with the Europeans?

[gbheron · 30 July 2000]

Character is another excellent drama from Europe. Its been rightfully lauded with awards in both Europe and America, but gets very little theatre or airplay on this, the left-hand side of the Atlantic. I'm a schlub, but don't mind investing a couple of bucks and a few hours of my time with thought-provoking movies like Character. What father or son couldn't relate to the two protagonists? How touching, how sad, how human. But these movies sink like stones in America. Why? There's an audience for this stuff and not just in the cities. European and American distributors have just fallen down on the job.

To Surly Without Love

[ThurstonHunger · 6/10 · 3 April 2004]

I wish this film were called "Karakters" as we really could use an in-depth look at more than just the one. As a child, our hero had a less humane upbringing than Tarzan. His story is one that is entwined with (and battled against) his father.

As an American, while I am not well versed with this root story, many other elements of the film feel very familiar. The device of reflecting back during a police interrogation, the good cop/bad cop operation and an excellent sweeping score. And as someone else commented, the lead bore a more than passing resemblance to Robert Downey, Jr.

The cinematography is outstanding, albeit consistently leaden. I found a red dress striking not only due to its attractive inhabitant, but largely in juxtaposition to such stark scenery. As others have mentioned, how is it that Mike Van Diem does not seem to have anything else going on after this? Is something rotten in Rotterdam??

The silence and surliness of many of the characters made this 2+ hour film feel even longer. Yet paradoxically, it felt as if it were a miniseries of misery that had suffered itself to be reduced down to this running time. Again I think many other characters would have been well-served by more inspection aside from sneers, scowls and other face dances.

That being said, the casting is superb. A gentleman with a pronounced underbite at first was hard to stop staring at because of his physical features. Later I found myself constantly on the look-out for him, as he injected some of the precious little compassion into the film. The film cries for him to yell out, and when he does it is one the more powerful and more satisfying moments.

Cruelty abounds, but I found myself hoping for a look into, or a monologue from, the evil father. There is a striking dream-sequence that suggests more profound depths to his despicable nature. Other actions suggest his loathing may be at its most extreme when aimed at himself. Afterwards I found myself wondering about a chicken/egg dilemma involving the parents; is it that the mother denies the father what he denies others and himself as well? Charity. Humanity.

This is a film devoid of those aspects of life, and thus moralistic...like a novel you would read in 8th grade. Gritty and gripping. And not for everyone, and not on Friday nights typically. It is telling that despite children being beaten, the intellectual torture is really what resounds in this film.

If you don't mind such a Grimm tale, then you will likely enjoy the meticulous construction of this story. Interlocking plot elements are introduced with the subtlety of a chess match.

If I had to come up with a one-word review, I'd say this film is "unremitting." That along with the fact that we did not get to see inside the fascinating father/foe made this ultimately an unsatisfying film for me. A repeated issue for me in films from all over the world arises when evil and good are clearly separated.

Of course there's always the notion that subtitles distract and detract from a film. It was telling that at times when the father was attacked, his assailants would scream (well in words on the screen) "Bastard." Maybe a Dutch audience would have heard more, especially in a pivotal (and problematic for me) scene involving the mother and Lorna.

6/10

PS For some reason, I keep thinking of the "monster" from Hal Hartley's "No Such Thing" in conjunction with the father in this film.

Great movie – pity about the story

[p-seed-889-188469 · 4/10 · 2 June 2015]

This movie is stunningly made, has great acting and wonderful cinematography - what a shame all this talent is wasted on such a moronic story. I am struggling to find a single scene in this movie that made any sense what so ever. Everything every character does in this movie is absurd. The "story" concerns a boy who has the misfortune to have not only the most bizarre father in the world but also the most bizarre mother in the world. The father is a sociopath of the first order and the mother is just plain away with the pixies. It is unclear if the mother was raped or not, but whatever, the mother is happy enough to stay with the father for 6 weeks, then leaves when she finds she is pregnant, as you do. At their new house they find some old books, which the boy reads and becomes a genius, as you do. Despite being a genius when the boy gets older he buys a cigar store (as you do) way down an alley – clearly Marketing 101 was not included in the books he read. Despite the fact that it seems to be constantly raining, it is not apparent that the cigar shop floods every time it rains. Bizarrely, the previous owner of this shop, volunteers his contact information (as you do), so they can get his help if needed. Of course, this address is a fake. What is the point of that, apart from filling in a few minutes of the movie? Our hero is now in big trouble, he has taken out a loan to buy this ridiculous shop – obviously the Bank is as idiotic as he is. He finds to his horror that the bank is owned by his father. For some reason this is seen to be bad, although quite frankly he owes his Father a big thank you for funding such a ridiculous investment. He fronts up to the lawyers and in a spectacular travesty of optical theory is almost blinded by the reflection from the nice shiny brass name plaques. Here he meets a guy with a pronounced underbite - the point of this abnormality is a mystery - is it supposed to be funny? On his way out some English visitors arrive. Since our hero has read a couple of random English books he is a whiz at fluent spoken English in any situation. Despite the fact that the Dutch and the English seem to be communicating fine without him for some reason the boy's wondrous command of English saves the day and he is immediately given a job. Notwithstanding that his father is supposed to be a raving maniac who throws sick women into the road, he allows his son an incredibly generous repayment scheme. Despite this generosity for some reason we are supposed to think the Father is treating him badly. The son duly pays off his debt to his father and blow me down if he doesn't immediately take out another, larger loan from him, under ridiculously draconian terms. Apparently this is to prove something, but all it proves to me is that the boy is an idiot. Yet again we are supposed to think that this act of stupidity on the part of the son is another demonstration of the evilness of the Father. The son works his way up the firm and finally gets his legal degree. There are various diversions along the way. Some flossy is hanging round him in the office but because the boy has the emotional age of a 2 year old he doesn't do anything about that. This flossy invites herself back to his place (as you do) and immediately finds a door that the son had never noticed. We are introduced to a guy called Jan, who is a communist, but he does nothing in the movie apart from adding 10 minutes of padding. The bizarre father attempts to evict someone in the middle of a battle zone, as you do. For some reason a man steps out to shoot the father. For some reason he misses, from a distance of about 3 feet. A soldier then shoots this person. The boy randomly meets his father in an alley. They fight. The father throws a penknife, as you do. Evidently Rotterdam is a very small place, possibly about 100 square meters. The son and father just happen to meet in an alley. The father just happens to emerge from a canal opposite the mother's house. The son just happens to run into his flossy on the beach. He just happens to run into again later on in a park with his mother. The only scene in which we might get some insight to the Father is in a dream. Ultimately it means nothing. The father visits the mother and implies he is being mean to the son to build his character. Yes, that's right, after being brought up in poverty, being abused all his life for having no father and with a nut case of a mother for company, we wouldn't want him to be soft would we? Eventually the son leaps over a desk at his father (as you do), his father beats the living daylights out of him, and later kills himself with a penknife that would be lucky to penetrate his coat. The son is brought to the Police Station and interviewed by two of the nicest, most trustworthy men you could hope to meet. Our hero regales them with his life story, as you do in this type of situation. Eventually the son is proved innocent using forensic evidence the technology for which didn't exist in that era. I could go on, but you get the idea.

A very pure and powerful piece of cinema

[inframan · 10/10 · 29 October 1999]

Character is what it's about, all right. That commodity which will be obsolete in the coming century/millenium. The mood and acting are as near to perfect as can be conceived. There were scenes that evoked the best of Murnau, Pabst and Lang. Movies like this don't come around much any more.

Brilliant Movie

[MusicalAnime · 10/10 · 9 September 2004]

I really liked this movie a lot. Sometimes i'll come back and refer to this movie when talking to well mostly my father. There was something about this movie that captivates you from the start. Your thrown in halfway in the movie without Much of knowing what's going on. The story slows down and you get to see struggles with a father and son story. This movie has a wonderful script, and very good lines. It is a very smart film that i think is just really good. It gives you a sense of how things were there, and how you can love someone and hate them at the same time. Or how you can love someone but never tell them of that love and yet they know. It's sad letting go and when bad things happen to you, you eventually are left to face the love in a form of anguish and hate.

Very Moving

[Diana S · 10/10 · 16 October 2001]

One morning very early, I couldn't sleep, Karakter was playing on the Sundance Channel. My first thought was, it being 3am, what the heck is Robert Downey Jr. doing in a foreign film? I watched until 5am and sent for three copies of the film the next day. I had to FORCE some people, to watch a foreign film. I loved the film and am still ordering copies, giving them away. The film affected me so much, because I had grown up with someone very similar to the father in the film.

dig deeper for treasure.

[Polyphonic · 8/10 · 29 September 2002]

is a real shame that this kind of movies have to be discovered 3 or 4 years since the release (most dont find their way to theaters) i know that people in the entertainment business are in just for the sake of money, but if they dont want to invest in producing quality movies (books,music etc) at least have to be more open in let these great movies have a decent distribution in the states.

Very Good

[brandyhaze13 · 12 August 2003]

Once again we were up late flipping channels when we came across this. My 19 yr. old brother (with the urban flare) watched this movie and enjoyed the heck out of it. As a matter of fact I am ordering it. I want to see it again and again. Its dark, and really sad, but nonetheless a GREAT movie :) Well Done!

Well made movie with a dubious message

[Andy-296 · 6/10 · 16 November 2006]

A generally well made movie with a very dubious message: the best way to raise your children is to treat them like garbage. This movie is based on a 1920s book, and that message might seem resonant with the values of that era. But it's strange to listen to this kind of litany in a contemporary movie. To summarize the plot a bit, the film is about a young man, son of an unwed and stern woman, whose career is made almost impossible by his natural father, a thoroughly repellent individual, whose job seems to be to evict the poor from their homes when they can't pay their debts. The father tries every tactic to harass his son and to bring him into bankruptcy. What is most shocking is that the movie seems to imply that the father really loves his son, and all the wretched things he does to him are in order to build his character (hence the title) and become a successful person in society. Summing up, a well made movie with a message that seems a relic from a previous era.

Character has it all.

[Gatorhank · 9/10 · 17 May 2000]

What a pleasant surprise! Karakter (Character) has so much going for it. There is a great deal of tension in the love/hate relationship between young Jacob and Dreverhaven (his biological father). There is a soupcon of romance (although un-requited) between Jacob and Lorna te George and even some action scenes. One never knows what will happen next. Will Jacob's real father kill him? Will Jacob kill his father? Will Jacob marry? Will he have a second bankruptcy? I know this sounds rather snide, but it is not meant that way at all. This film has a great deal going for it. Beautifully filmed on locations in Holland (mostly office interiors). If it comes your way, don't miss it.

Don't know why it won best Foreign Film

[Psycho-29 · 7/10 · 19 April 1999]

I found this film to be mildly interesting, wondering why it ends the way it does (as it starts with the ending first). However, I thought it was slow, depressing, and at times, I wondered why I was continuing to watch it. Given that the pool of Best Foreign Language nominees is usually high quality, I wasn't sure why this one took home the trophy.

A face like no other

[bathory-4 · 8/10 · 25 March 2004]

Jan Decleir's Dreverhaven is wonderful, as is the oddly sensuous Lorna te George (Tamar van den Dop). The faces in this film are especially marvelous, such as De Gankelaar (Victor Löw) and even the unmoving Joba (Betty Schuurman).

The plot twists nicely in this very Dutch unreligious tale of sin and redemption. The pitiful Jacob Katadreuffe (Fedja van Huêt) is a failure forever, to this father (who nonetheless gives him his fortune) and especially to his mother, who at last speaks in a flash of passion.

Even if the story were not as good as it is, the spectacular locations (especially the shots in Utrecht along the canal) are captivating.

I started watching out of curiosity to see a film in Dutch, and ended up discovering a well-wrought and convincing production of life between the World Wars -- where the ominous cloud of the second one could be felt infusing Katadreuffe's hope and te George's face.

'Character' keeps your interest but its 'characters' remain unconvincingly defined

[Turfseer · 6/10 · 28 February 2009]

'Character' is a Dutch film which won the Academy Award for Best Picture in 1998. The film begins as a young man, Jacob Katadreuffe, has been arrested on the suspicion of murdering Dreverhaven, a powerful and much feared bailiff in the city of Rotterdam. Katadreuffe is interrogated by the police and the recounting of his story forms a voice-over narration for the rest of the film.

We flashback to the early 1920s as Katadreuffe relates that his mother, Joba, was Dreverhaven's housekeeper. They have a very brief affair but she decides to raise the child on her own since he is a cruel man who she cannot relate to. Nonetheless, Dreverhaven is persistent in trying to get Joba to change her mind. He sends an emissary laden with cash begging her to marry him but each time she rejects his entreaties.

Finally Dreverhaven gives up and Joba is left to raise little Jacob on her own. Oddly, she has no fondness for the boy and throughout his childhood and adolescence she hardly says a word to him.

'Character' has a few powerful scenes in its expository sequences. First we discover just how cruel a man Dreverhaven is. When he comes to evict a family who are behind on their rent, he finds an extremely sick woman inside the apartment and ends up dragging her out of bed and throws her out into the street. In another powerful scene, Katadreuffe is arrested with a group of other boys for stealing some bread and is almost raped by a pederast police officer inside a juvenile detention center.

It should be noted that when Katadreuffe is detained, he tells the police that Dreverhaven is his father. But when questioned, Dreverhaven denies knowing the boy. Hence, at the outset, we wonder why the Dreverhaven rejects his son. Is he trying to get back at the mother who won't marry him? It's never really explained.

Katadreuffe's 'call to adventure' begins when he finally becomes a young man. He's still living with his mother and decides that he must strike out on his own. He takes out a loan from a credit company and impulsively buys a cigar shop without checking the inventory. He soon discovers that the inventory, boxes of cigars, are filled with nothing but straw. One wonders why Katadreuffe didn't bother to inspect the inventory before purchasing the business. After this fiasco, Katadreuffe is forced to go back to live with his mother.

Katadreuffe keeps pushing forward. He manages to land a job as an assistant to an attorney, Stroomkoning, at a law firm utilizing his English skills which he learned as a child studying an old encyclopedia. Soon after, Katadreuffe discovers that the credit company he borrowed the money from belongs to Dreverhaven. Katadreuffe is now in debt to his father who interestingly enough allows him to pay off his debts in installments. During the first go-round, he proves to his father that he's an honorable guy and pays off the debt as money is garnered from his pay check.

Most of 'Act 2" of 'Character' deals with Katadreuffe attempt to better his position within the law firm. He's attracted to Stroomkoning's secretary, Miss Te George, but due to his bitterness over the poor relationship with his father, he never works up the courage to hook up with her. The film's B story doesn't seem to go anywhere when Te George eventually leaves the firm and nothing comes of their relationship.

Katadreuffe is eventually offered the position of office manager within the firm. Inexplicably, he asks Dreverhaven for another loan which he uses for tutoring to become a full-fledged attorney. The loan has one proviso: Dreverhaven can call it in at anytime. He does so just as Katadreuffe is about to take his exams. To Katadreuffe's horror, it's revealed that he failed to pay an earlier debt consisting of his 15 guilder collection of old books (including the encyclopedia). Stroomkoning comes to his rescue, convincing the bankruptcy court that the debt was merely a gift.

Meanwhile, Dreverhaven, the cruel, obsessed bailiff, has never given up hope that Joba will accept his proposition (why he still wants to marry her after all this time is never explained). He visits her again after all these years and she turns him down on cue. This fuels his monstrous rage and he's off evicting as many poor tenants he can find. He's so obsessed that he serves a notice of eviction to a Communist who's in the middle of firefight with the police.

In her old age, Joba becomes a little more talkative and chides Katadreuffe for not going after Lorna Te George. Joba soon dies and Dreverhaven has a soft spot in his heart and attends her funeral.

The climax of 'Character' is unsatisfying. We expect Dreverhaven to do something shattering that leads Katadreuffe to confront him in the final scene. But it's nothing more than his graduation from law school and acceptance into the firm that propels him to the final confrontation with his father (Katadreuffe remarks that he "knew all along" that his father had been "waiting" for him).

Father and son are both bloodied as they duke it out at Dreverhaven's place of employment. Dreverhaven ends up dead but the police conclude that Dreverhaven committed suicide and let Katadreuffe go.

'Character' is fairly absorbing until the Third Act Climax. The film is helped immensely by the brooding, noirish musical score. Although we never really find out what makes Dreverhaven tick, it's suggested that he was merely using 'tough love' as a means of building his son's character (Dreverhaven ends up ceding his entire estate to his son and signs his will "Father" to boot). "Character' is a melodrama with a nice look to it which will keep you engaged for most of its two hours. But the motivations of its 'characters' (especially Dreverhaven) are not always convincingly defined.

An edge-of-your-seat thriller.

[MovieAlien · 7 July 1999]

If not the best foreign film to be released in 1998, perhaps the best movie *in general* to be released that year, because there were so many duds in the Americas at the time that it was difficult to salvage anything redeemable!

You have a simple story; Circa The Netherlands, 1920s; A young man is accused of killing his father, and the story does a flashback from when he a was a child; Was this "dad" really a fatherly type, or a cruel, greedy baliff? Lots of twists; Sticks to the period, but also had a bold, Hichcockian feel.