Hot Docs Review: Meet The Fokkens [Rob Schröder and Gabriëlle Provaas, 70 minutes, Netherlands, 2012]

The following review is written by our friend and fellow documentary lover Joe from Mechanical Forest Sound, check out his blog for Hot Doc reviews, exceptional live recording and probably a helluva lot more thought out writings

Ignore the terrible and gimmicky English-language title to this one, and pretend it’s called it’s original Ouwehoeren. From the Dutch, the film-makers mentioned that renders as something like “to chatter like an old whore”. No insult in this situation, as that’s exactly what 70-year-old identical twins Louise and Martine Fokkens do. Prostitutes in Amsterdam’s red-light district for over half a century, Louise and Martine have seen it all and discuss their lives and careers without shame. In fact, they’re open-hearted and charmingly ribald throughout. Martine, in fact, is still at work, sitting in her window and calling out to passers-by who look like they might want a spanking.)

Like any job, there are mixed feelings, with pride in one’s work rubbing up against frustration at the circumstances that led on there in the first place. Both sisters have a few regrets but are never short of dignity and laughs as they swap stories and memories. They’re wonderful characters, a two-headed army who frequently dress the same and share a deep bond. Warm and funny, this film also gives us a chance to look at a lot of important issues — not just at prostitution generally, but also at elder sexuality, the changing face of The Netherlands, family reconciliation and the value of art as therapy. Recommended.

Do note that in sharing the space with sex workers (and their clients!) this film gets a bit more explicit than you might have expected going in; but truth be told, the most prurient images to a Toronto audience might be the shots of a functioning modern LRT system.

Meet The Fokkens screens one more time, Fri, May 4 7:00 PM @ Cumberland 2

Posted on by Ricky in Hot Docs

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Britpop lovin Chinaman, consumer of all things irrelevant. Toronto Raptors fan.