jonathanruano Karakter is one of those films that if you don't understand it, you will never learn to appreciate it. Essentially, it is about Jacob Katadreuffe (Fedja van Huet) who was forsaken by his formidable father Dreverhaven (Jan Decleir) when he was only a baby and used his own talents and hard work to attain a higher station in life. But it is about much more than that. It is about real human beings who struggle with themselves and with each other in order to make sense out of their own lives and to find their place in dynamic, puritan universe that is Holland.Dreverhaven hates his son Jacob, because the latter reminds him of the one great sin he committed in his life -- namely, having an affair with a woman who was not his wife. This may seem surprising, because Dreverhaven had a fearsome reputation for physically throwing out tenants who could not pay their rent and taking to court those who defaulted on his loans. Yet, Dreverhaven lived in a puritanical world where making wealth by hard work, discipline and sheer ruthlessness was considered a virtue, while having children out of wedlock was not. Since he succeeded in that world more than most other people, he was changed by it in a more profound way. But Dreverhaven was also capable of changing more positive ways. He develops a respect for Jacob, when his son triumphantly overcomes the challenges he puts before him. Dreverhaven's respect for his son conflicts with his hatred of him and he never seems able to reconcile the two emotional impulses.Then we have Jacob Katadreuffe who knows what grinding poverty feels like, especially when his mother (Tamar van den Dop) decides the time has come for him to move out. As it turns out, his mother was on the right track. Jacob was cleverer than his peers. He learnt the English language simply by reading books he found in his new house. Informed by a friend that the Communists were gaining new members, Jacob observed that unemployment was up as well -- he obviously knew that most people would leave the Communist party once they found jobs that paid the rent and other living expenses. After a business reversal (which taught him how businessmen cheat each other), Jacob Katadreuffer finally begins his meteoric rise to prominence only to come into conflict -- by a strange and unexpected twist of fate -- with his father Dreverhaven.Finally, we have a murder mystery. Dreverhaven was found in the basement of his wear house with a knife lodged in his stomach and his estranged son, Jacob Katadreuffe, was the last person known to have seen him.Over the course of the film, director Max van Diem brilliantly interweaves these three strands together. He is assisted by a very capable group of actors. Jan Decleir is absolutely brilliant as Dreverhaven, who is a special kind of villain, because he has depth, a soul and inspires a certain degree of sympathy. Dreverhaven is probably one of the hardest roles to play, but Jan Decleir pulls it off without a hitch. Fedja van Huet is also impressive as Jacob Katadreuffe, a man so consumed with ambition that he makes no room for any real personal life. Towards the end, one feels he may become the same man his father was. Van den Dop also gives a fine performance as the reserved and quiet mother to Jacob. Finally, Paleis van Boem's riveting score really contributes to the plot and the general atmosphere of the film. These days, it is rare to see a film about real people trying to work out their own internal and external conflicts. They do so without special effects, without explosions and for the most part without violence. This is one of the most interesting and intense films I have seen in recent times and it is tragic that Hollywood does not make more films like this one.

Boba_Fett1138 I was profoundly impressed with this Oscar winning Dutch movie. It features a strong and greatly compelling story, strong characters, fine acting, great production values and whatever more. A true masterpiece in my book!It's mostly a story and character driven movie. This might sound boring to some but let me tell you that "Karakter" is anything from boring, unlike most other Dutch productions within the same genre. It's a real exciting psychological thriller, without really featuring any action or much dialog in it. Mike van Diem does an amazing job telling the movie its story. He just doesn't only did a great job with its story but also with the movie its look and atmosphere and he got the best out of the actors.The movie is also really made by it's acting. The acting was surprisingly great within the entire movie, which already is a big accomplishment for any Dutch production. Fedja van Huêt, despite his young age, carries the movie really well and he has probably already played the role out of his career in this movie, even though his career obviously isn't over yet. Same goes for Jan Decleir. He plays one of the most complicated and memorable villain role out of movie history, I kid you not. Even though he is not the type of movie villain who kills or uses violence, he is more ruthless in the way his personality is and how he subtly moves around and is important throughout the movie, by giving his son a hard accomplishing anything in life. An even bigger accomplishment from Decleir when considering how few lines he actually has throughout the movie. Yeah it might sound weird but he reminded me a lot of Darth Vader from the Star Wars movies. He's just as cold and ruthless, doesn't show any emotions, walks around with a long cape and in the end his character seeks redemption with his son.The movie is set in the the 1920's Rotterdam. The movie has a nice impressive historical look over it and does an amazing job reconstructing Rotterdam of the 1920's, even though the movie didn't got filmed in Rotterdam itself, which isn't anything too surprising considering Rotterdam got bombed heavily during WW II and almost all of the old city heart is completely gone now days and the city is filled with modern buildings and skyscrapers now days. Normally it's very small scaled and perhaps even a bit embarrassing to look at a Dutch movie that tries to recreate a different much older time period. Mostly they'll trow one old car in a sequences, with 10 people walking around in old clothes and that's it. But "Karakter" is however very detailed with its look and overall atmosphere.Besides the movie its look and overall cinematography and directing I also really liked the movie its editing, which kept the movie going at all times. It uses some nice cutting tricks to achieve this and it really helps to make this movie an exciting one to watch.It's a movie that sucks you right in its story and doesn't ever let you go. You'll forget everything around you and won't be able to get your eyes of the screen, or even blink for that matter. The movie doesn't feature a story I would normally like within a movie, especially not from a Dutch movie but "Karakter" just does basically everything right to grab you and suck you right into it. An haunting, beautiful, impressive movie, that you'll won't easily forget.10/10http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/

ejs-80 "Karakter" is an awesome movie with an ingenious plot. During the film you end up repeatedly wondering why certain characters behave the way they do, and with the help of marvelous actors (especially Jan Decleir/Dreverhaven), the resolutions always surprise you and leave you pondering. The magnificent cinematography deserves a praise, too, and despite the prolonged chess-game quality of the battle between Jacob Katadreuffe and his father, everything that happens regarding this has a curious thriller aspect to it.Victor Löw's appearance as De Gankelaar is very impressive (perhaps in some ways comparable to Brando's Don Corleone in the Godfather, although these characters are not alike). Also the ethereal beauty (in my opinion) of Tamar van den Dop as Lorna te George didn't hurt my enjoyment of this film at all.Altogether, don't miss "Karakter" if you ever have a chance to watch it!

eyeseehot Watching this sludgy, portentous tripe was torture. Any relation between these characters and real human beings is purely coincidental. Example: the main character is supposedly in love with a woman who works in the office, though he's been too shy to do anything about it. At the beach with friends, he meets her by chance. She invites him to her cabana, where, shockingly, there's another man, never seen before. She introduces them. Lover boy is so angry he leaves, and then won't speak to her at the office. He never asks about the other man, she never tells him anything, and the other man is never seen again. Later she marries someone else. His mother says, "you let her get away, you're an ass." Best line in the film.The film at least sparked a good discussion afterwards. We came to see that it's a pro-capitalist, or anti-welfare state, allegory. Both the father and the mother, in their ways, torment the son, and in the end we learn it was all done out of love, tough love: to make him tough. Only then can he inherit the money. The father is a monstrously unbending bailiff, charged with defending property rights by repossession and eviction of those deadbeat lower classes. The kid shows grit and ambition by pursuing legal studies and paying off all his debts. One slight softening: he learns, one time, to accept a gift. Otherwise it's straight Ayn Rand: capitalism is tough to keep society tough. Rely on yourself, don't get soft, climb the ladder and pay your debts, and you'll reap your reward.The style is copied from Steven Spielberg. Same kinds of shots, rhythm, shoving the obvious in your face, lack of interest in real character. Standard Hollywood period piece photography: subdued hazy brown-gray-blue. Excuse me, I have to run to the video store to rent an Eric Rohmer.