Fun & Famous

5x WHY YOU SHOULD SEE TONIO

On Wednesday, Tonio premiered. The film adaptation of the ‘mourning requiem’ (what a beautiful word that is) that A.F.Th. van der Heijden wrote after the death of his son Tonio. That book, I didn't dare to tackle, but the film, I should be able to manage. If you're hesitating to go, here are seven compelling reasons to buy a ticket now. But do bring a bottle of bland cinema wine and a pack of tissues to get you through the suffering.

1. Pierre Bokma

I have been told that Pierre Bokma can not only cry on command (which you can expect from an actor of stature), but that he also asks the director from which eye he prefers the tears and how many he wants. Pierre Bokma is, in any case, the king of the screen, but in this film... He becomes A.F.Th. van der Heijden (Adri for those close to him). The eyes in which a hint of madness can be seen due to the sudden grief. The scene in which he evaluates all the bottles he has drunk on the kitchen floor and names the Olympic course he has covered to collect so much glass recycling material in one night. His awkward kisses on Tonio's cheeks as he greets him on the canals. It will later turn out to be their last meeting. So, Pierre Bokma. Hats off.

2. The scream of Rifka

Sunday morning. Adri reads the newspapers with the two large house cats in bed. The doorbell. The scream. The scream of a mother who hears an officer say he has bad news...

3. The hiding scene

We see the great writer and his wife in their large Amsterdam house and a small boy sneaking through the hallway. “Do you know where Tonio is, Adri?” “No, no idea, have you looked everywhere for him?” “Yes, everywhere, I can't find him anywhere.” “Then there's only one thing to do.” Adri lets a silence fall. “We call the police.” “I'M HERE!” shouts the boy from under a side table and you see the image of a perfectly happy three-in-one.

4. At the doctor's in the room

Adri and Mirjam are at the doctor's office where she tells them that they need to stop Tonio's ventilation. You see the camera focusing on the framed family photos of the apparently perfect, happy, and healthy family of the doctor. So terribly painful.

5. The power of catharsis

Catharsis, as Aristotle called it, is the emotional effect that comes from watching a tragedy. Simply put: when you watch the sorrow of others, you process your own a little bit too.

And man, did I pay extra attention yesterday to prevent an accident when I drove through Amsterdam at night.