Why you should go see Judas (if you haven't already)
The success of Astrid Holleeder's account of her brother Willem just keeps going. First, the book Judas sold more than 500,000 copies, then there was an impressive theater performance, and now there is the television series. In six episodes, we see how Astrid comes to the point of reporting her brother to the authorities, but also her youth and her earlier life as a lawyer are addressed. The first episode attracted 1.2 million viewers, and Videoland, where the entire series was available at once, crashed.
I personally watched the entire series in one go, I thought it was that good. Although I do have a small point of criticism: the differences between the present and the past were very small. It took me a while to realize that Astrid with long hair was NOW and Astrid with short hair was THEN. With Sonja, it was exactly the opposite. She has short hair NOW and long hair THEN. Couldn't they have solved that a bit more elegantly, you might think. Overall, I found the first two episodes a bit messy. But after that: what a ride!
If you haven't started watching yet: do! Even if it's just for the amazing acting. We already knew that Rifka Lodeizen is a brilliant actress (just look at Tonio), but now she has outdone herself. She is believable, never overacts, her Amsterdam accent is spot on, it's exactly what it needs to be. And she is incredibly beautiful, although that's not really relevant, I just wanted to mention it. Then there's Marit van Bohemen. We already knew her from not-so-grand programs like Campinglife and Goudkust, but as Sonja Holleeder, she proves to be a fantastic actress. She plays the not-so-smart, but also not completely dumb younger sister of Astrid. The most beautiful moment for me was when she said to the authorities: ‘Wim hep Cor gedaan.’ (think this in flat Amsterdam dialect). The chemistry between the sisters is also right. Although Astrid is younger, as the only educated one in the family, she is clearly the boss of her sister, which makes it interesting.
I know there has been some criticism of Gijs Naber's nose, but for me, he was just Willem Holleeder from the start. That walk, that way of speaking: amazing. The series is of course not made to be funny, but occasionally I burst out laughing. Willem Holleeder is a huge blind spot for himself and occasionally makes the most wonderful remarks. What do you think of this: ‘From that whole Heineken, I've only had trouble.’ He also has whole reasoning about how Sonja has money because she has a car. He desperately wants that car, even though he has one himself, but he desperately wants Sonja's, and so the reasoning goes on.
But what makes the series particularly good is that it is relatable why it was so painful for Astrid to report her brother. Through flashbacks to her youth, you see how her older brother Willem tried to protect her from their violent, alcoholic father. To her, he is a kind of hero. And you don't just betray your hero.
