#NFF Opening film Nono sings away from dull realism

What a festive opening film it was! The Dutch Film Festival's choice of Nono, the zigzag child had, of course, to do with the fact that Dutch family films are specially highlighted in the festival spotlight this year. But even apart from that theme, it was an unmissable kick-off.

Because while we may like to grumble that yet again we failed to get a Dutch film into the Cannes competition, when it comes to youth and family films, our filmmakers can easily compete with, say, their Scandinavian colleagues, who have long been leaders in this field. See for instance Chewboy, currently our Oscar entry and awarded best youth film and best debut in Berlin earlier this year. And the delightful Annie M.G. Schmidt film adaptation Minoes by Vincent Bal (admittedly he is from Belgium) has so quietly found a worldwide audience.

Coincidentally, or not, Vincent Bal is also the director of Nono, the zigzag child, based on the book by Israeli writer David Grossman. In it, Thomas Simon makes his debut as 13-year-old Nono, who, on the eve of his bar mitzvah, escapes his strict father (the best police inspector in the world) to travel to the French Riviera with a master burglar.

Whereas at first this road movie still looks a bit like a somewhat contrived adventure, Bal soon manages to give Nono's adventures a self-evident flair that detaches itself from the dull logic of solid realism. Think of a musical without songs, in which seriousness and lightness, tragedy, serious emotions and playful fantasy blend effortlessly. With quotes from classic French crime films and the world of French chansons, we are heading towards poignant and moving moments in which Nono learns a lot about his prematurely deceased mother, and about what you have to do to get on in life. Isabella Rossellini and Burghart Klaussner play important supporting roles.

Traditionally, the first awards of the festival are already presented on the opening night. The Film Prize of the City of Utrecht for best debut was presented by mayor Aleid Wolfsen to Jeroen S. Rozendaal for his short documentary Interzone - Poems by Bart Chabot. This year, the Golden Calf for the Cultuurprijs, an award for special merits for Dutch film culture, went to actress Willeke van Ammelrooy.