Together with creative incubator Studio Meervaart and students from the Netherlands Film Academy, we'll be shooting the independent short film "Doei" on August 23rd and 24th. The crew consists of a small, personal group of young people with big filmmaking ambitions who have been working together for several months on the film's preparation. We're all unpaid, as the budget is very tight.

Synopsis:
Berend and Jolie are two children who find each other in a world where no one really pays attention. They do what children do: get bored and make up silly games. What unites them is their open-mindedness—and a silent connection that doesn't need to be spoken.
But then the atmosphere changes.

When Berend's older brother comes home from freshman camp, the realization hits home: the outside world is watching. His relationship with Jolie is being ridiculed. His brother's look is enough to spark doubt in Berend's mind: "Is this weird, what I'm doing?"

From that moment on, Berend's behavior shifts. He withdraws, avoids Jolie, and ultimately lets his shame take over in an impulsive act: he locks her in an underground trash can. Just like that. Because he no longer knows how to handle himself and her under the judgment of others.

Goodbye! shows the pain of discovering you're "different," or being seen as such—and how that realization can destroy you if you take it seriously. Berend isn't cruel because he hates Jolie, but because he no longer dares to show himself. Instead of staying true to the feeling they shared, he chooses flight—with silence, distance, and ultimately betrayal.

The film doesn't respond with a speech or a moral, but leaves the pain of that loss palpable. Letting others' opinions guide you doesn't make you a better person—it just makes you lonelier.

What do we offer?
4K resolution portfolio images, analog set photos (by https://www.guidodebruin.com) and possible film festival premieres.

Type
studentenproductie

Location
Amsterdam / Den Haag

Description
Character description (Jolie):
Open, persistent, and disarming. She asks for what she wants without shyness—whether it's help or, for example, attention from Berend. Jolie isn't naive, but neither is she inhibited by self-consciousness. She trusts that closeness is a given.

Language requirements
Dutch

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