Set in the Dutch marshlands, the drama Reedland stars Gerrit Knobbe (a real life reed-cutter) as Johan, a reed-cutter whose life is turned upside down when he discovers a young girl’s body on his land.
Alongside him is Loïs Reinders as his granddaughter Dana, and actor Anna Loeffen as a young local woman.
The film has been selected as the Dutch Entry for Best International Feature at the 98th Academy Awards.
Directed by Sven Bresser, Reedland premiered in the Critics’ Week section at the Cannes Film Festival and went on to screen at other festivals including the Busan International Film Festival.
It opens November 14 in New York at Cinema Village, then December 12 in Los Angeles at Laemmle Theaters.
Here is the synopsis:
When reed cutter Johan discovers the lifeless body of a girl on his land, he is overcome by an ambiguous sense of guilt. While taking care of his granddaughter, he sets out on a quest to track down evil. But darkness can thrive in unexpected places.
A man, nature and evil. The connection between these elements form the essence of a portrait of a Dutch landscape, slowly turning into the complex, inner landscape of its main character. Despite its plot, the film is not a classic murder-mystery. The search for a factual truth – the whodunit – is a vehicle to explore a more complex and deeply human truth, and a prompt to reflect on questions of guilt and innocence, violence, and xenophobia.
Variety review described the film as an ‘outstanding slow-burn thriller’ writing, “With a tight runtime, magnetic central performance and bleak but compelling subject matter, theatrical prospects could be potentially rewarding for an appropriate arthouse distributor. This is a film designed to be seen on the big screen, and while it should certainly have appeal for high-class streamers, it’d be a pity to see it skip cinemas.”
Watch the trailer for Reedland, above.
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