Lentelied: A Trip Through Old Dutch Cinema

Is it worth your time?

If you have a soft spot for grainy, old-school European dramas, Lentelied is a decent way to kill an hour. If you need pacing, modern stakes, or characters who don't look like they’re waiting for a train that left in 1935, stay far away. It’s for the patient viewer, really.

There is a lot of standing around in this movie. Characters often pause in doorways as if they are afraid to commit to the room. It’s not necessarily bad, just very deliberate.

The Vibe

Watching this feels a bit like looking through a box of attic photos. You catch glimpses of streets and clothes that don't exist anymore, and there’s that weird, crackly audio that makes every whisper sound like a secret being told through a radiator. 📻

Jules Verstraete holds his own, but sometimes he looks like he’s trying to remember if he left the stove on back at his real house. It’s a human touch, I guess.

Small Things I Noticed

• The lighting in the parlor scenes is aggressively dramatic. Everyone has a shadow that follows them like a guilty conscience.
• The way they handle tea sets is genuinely stressful. They hold those cups like they’re made of wet paper.
• There is a moment near the middle where a character stares out a window for what felt like three years. It’s funny if you stop taking it seriously.

It’s not as energetic as Camera Thrills, which is a totally different beast, obviously. And honestly, it doesn't have the punch of something like Præsten i Vejlby. It’s just... quiet.

Final Thoughts (Sort of)

The movie gets slightly better when it stops trying to be a heavy drama and just lets the people talk. The dialogue is stiff, sure, but it has this weird, formal charm. You aren't going to have your life changed by this one. But you might feel a little calmer by the end. Sometimes that’s enough, right? 🌷

Also, I’m pretty sure one of the extras in the background of the park scene just walked into the frame, realized they were on camera, and then awkwardly pivoted to walk the other way. I had to rewind it twice. Perfection.