This is not a Hollywood movie, but is a Dutch movie… Ober in Dutch means Waiter .
Script & Direction: Alex Van Warmerdam
Music: Vincent van Warmerdam
Producer: Marc van Warmerdam
MAIN CAST:
Alex Van Warmerdam: Edgar
Jaap Spijkers: Walter
Mark Rietman: Herman
Ariane Schluter: Victoria
Lynn Renée: Stella
Waldemar Kobus: Richard
Thekla Reuten: Suzie
Stephan Degand: Sieb
Togo Igawa: Makino
Fedja van Huèt: Ralph
About Director and Script Writer: World known, many international awards winner, Dutch Filmmaker, writer, designer, director and actor Alex van Warmerdam, born on 14 August 1952 in Haarlem, The Netherlands, studied at Graphic School, Holland. He started his career in 1980 as a director of theatre shows under the banner of his own theatre company – De Mexicaanse Hond and directed 11 theatre shows. He was also the co-founder of the famous music company - Hauser Orkafer. The then famous publishing house Thomas Rap Publishing House published his collected theatre works. The same publishing house also published his first novel De Hand van een Vreemde which means ‘The Hand of a Stranger’. He made his first film Abel, in 1986. In 1995 he joined hands with his brother Marc (Graniet Films) to produce all his films afterwards. Few of the prestigious international awards that he got are: Prins Bernhard Prize for Culture in 1995 for his entire theatre and film achievements, Bronze Sea lion award in 1998 for his contribution to Dutch film industry. His movies Abel (1986), The Northerners (1992), The Dress (1996), Little Tony (1998), Grimm (2003) and Ober (Waiter) (2006) have won many international awards including Golden Calf, Critics Prize & Special Jury Prize in Venice Film Festival, Felix award, Dutch entry for the Academy Awards (Oscars), Special Jury Prize in Veviers Film Festival France, Stockholm film festival- Sweden, Bergamo film festival – Italy, Dutch film festival, San Sebastian International Film Festival – Spain, Riga International Film Festival – Letvia, International Film Festival Toronto, Canada, and International Film Festival Pusan.
Why I Liked this movie: When I was in Den Haag a couple of years back, I went with 4 of my Dutch friends to watch this movie on their insistence. They were very sure that I will like this movie very much and indeed I did. The movie can be treated as one of the great CLASSIC COMEDY movies. All actors performed well especially Edgar, Helena, Herman, Suzy, Walter, and Stella). This movie has a tremendous flow due to its flawless script. The comedy is there but not cheap and light comedy, rather it keeps you engrossed in the movie throughout
Story: Edgar works as a waiter in a restaurant ‘The West’, at the age of fifty but is a fictitious entity being written/ created by a novel writer Herman, when gets bored of his routine life, goes to Herman for a change in life. He wanted Herman to change his story for that purpose. Herman’s wife Suzy keeps changing the story as and when Herman is away from his computer. Edgar is not happy with his ill-driven wife Helena and wants a new girl friend in his life. And he gets it in Stella.
The story takes lot of twists and turns and the best part is the meeting of fictitious characters of a novel (Edgar, Stella, Helena, Walter) being written by Herman with the writer, Herman and his wife and these character’s conversations with their creator/ writer. After repeatedly approaching of the main character of his novel, Edgar, to Herman, Herman warns Edgar that if he does not stop coming again and again and asking for changes in the story, Herman will change the script once for all by killing Edgar through and accident with a Lorry. Edgar keeps getting confused and keeps requesting Herman to change to storyline to make his life happy. In between Herman decides to change the story in some other manner but in his absence his wife sits on his computer and changes the story in some other direction. The movie keeps viewers hooked throughout to keep guessing what is going to happen next. The direction, and story are so powerful that you never know what will happen next…
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