Het leven is niet zo kwaad: A dusty, charming Dutch curio

If you have any interest in the history of Dutch cinema, Het leven is niet zo kwaad is one of those movies you'll inevitably stumble over. Is it worth watching today? Only if you like your movies smelling like old theater velvet and mothballs. If you prefer pacing that doesn't feel like a carousel stuck in second gear, you will absolutely hate this.

The whole thing feels less like a narrative film and more like a series of Vaudeville acts forced into a story. Lou Bandy is, well, Lou Bandy. He walks into every frame like he’s waiting for a round of applause that never quite stops. It's intensely theatrical in a way that feels almost suffocating by modern standards. 🎭

There is this one moment with the music where the sound quality dips so low I thought my speakers had given up. It’s charming, in a way. It reminds you that this film wasn't made to be scrutinized on a high-definition screen eighty years later. It was made to make people forget about their day for an hour.

The comedy is... well, it’s 1935 comedy. A lot of the jokes rely on people walking through doors at the wrong time or looking confused at a wall. It’s not exactly The Bicycle Flirt in terms of wit, but it has a certain earnestness. You can tell they were trying really hard to make it feel light, like a feather, even when the dialogue is heavy as lead.

I found myself zoning out during the longer musical numbers. They just keep going. It’s like the director was terrified of a silent screen. Silence is scary, so let’s have someone sing about… bread? Or love? It’s all very vague.

Notes from the couch:

• The lighting is remarkably flat. Everything is lit like a grocery store aisle.
• Fien de la Mar actually has a screen presence that cuts through the noise. She’s the only one who doesn't seem to be performing for the people in the back row.
• The transitions between scenes are non-existent. It just jumps. Blink and you’ve missed a plot development.
• It’s definitely a bit of a relic compared to something like Poil de carotte, which feels miles ahead in terms of pure visual storytelling.

You can tell this was made at a time when cinema was still trying to figure out how to be something other than a filmed play. Sometimes it succeeds, mostly it just feels like someone filmed a rehearsal. Still, there’s a weird, stubborn life to it. It’s not good by any metric I usually care about, but I didn't turn it off. That counts for something, right?

Maybe it’s the era. Or maybe it’s just that there’s something genuinely sweet about how hard everyone is trying to be funny. It’s not trying to change the world. It’s just trying to keep the lights on. I can respect that. 🎞️