NFF - 'The rules of Matthijs' mandatory curriculum for emergency workers

The crop of feature-length documentaries screened at the Netherlands Film Festival is good. They are extraordinary stories, sometimes startling, sometimes penetrating, sometimes fodder for much discussion, and almost all very beautifully filmed. We wish the jury much wisdom.

The nominated documentary 'The Rules of Matthijs' is of interest to everyone, but should be compulsory viewing for social workers, police officers, nurses and lawyers. The film offers a unique insight into the mind of an intelligent, autistic man, Matthijs.

Director Marc Schmidt explains at the beginning of the documentary to his childhood friend Matthijs that the intention of the film is to show how he sees Matthijs. The latter, in turn, finds that interesting enough to make the sacrifice required of him. He sighs 'It's all right, but it's not nothing'.

Throughout the film, Matthijs looks straight into the camera and explains in clear terms why the world of us non-autists cannot be understood by him, even though he tries so hard. With his clever comments, he takes the viewer into his train of thought. The well-timed extreme close shots reinforce that feeling.

Matthijs does things that are strange at first glance but, on closer inspection, an understandable survival strategy. For instance, he meticulously draws out his entire house and writes down everything he does and how he feels, sometimes hour by hour. This is a lot of work, which is why he uses a number system that allows him to write down a date in three letters. He records his own phone calls and listens to them afterwards. That way, he hopes to find out what hidden intentions people have when they say something. 'I always take what people say literally. And then things go wrong.'

Matthijs is trapped in his own logic. And his survival strategy is not working; he cannot get the staggering mess in his house under control, causing his relationship with the housing association to deteriorate.

The special thing about this film is that because of his relationship with the protagonist, the Marc Schmidt is the only one who could have made it. Matthijs trusts him: 'You never say exactly what you mean either, but I can read you, because your face emphatically shows your intention'. So he lets him film everything, including the lesser moments. It results in a penetrating portrait that will stay with the viewer for a long time.