Cannes Hidden Gem: ‘Reedland’ Puts a Poetic and Claustrophobic Lens on Rituals, Ambiguity, and Evil

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In the film titled “Reedland (Rietland)”, Dutch director Sven Bresser’s first full-length work, we find a blend of natural elements, light and darkness, routine activities, conflict, uncertainty, and sinister themes such as mortality, tribalism, and fear of the unknown. This fusion is presented in a visually captivating, eerie, and confined manner during its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival’s Critics’ Week on Wednesday.

In the film, amateur actor Gerrit Knobbe plays reed cutter Johan, who finds a dead girl on his property and experiences an enigmatic feeling of remorse. As he cares for his granddaughter, he embarks on a journey to hunt down wickedness. However, darkness may lurk in unanticipated corners.”

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“In this movie by Viking Film, Johan (played by Gerrit Knobbe) discovers a deceased girl on his land and feels a mysterious sense of culpability. Taking care of his granddaughter, he embarks on a mission to find the source of evil. Yet, shadows can grow in surprising locations.

The movie showcases Sam du Pon’s beautiful cinematography and is set in a Dutch countryside reminiscent of where Bresser was raised, yet in a distinct region. The distribution of this film is being managed by The Party Film Sales.

Bresser, whose debut short ‘The Summer and All the Rest’ premiered at the Venice Film Festival 2018 and won the best short film award at the Netherlands Film Festival, explains to THR that his journey began with a particular landscape. This landscape was deeply ingrained in his memories from childhood and no longer exists in the village where he grew up. ‘In my search for this familiar landscape,’ he says, ‘I discovered wetlands in the northern part of the Netherlands, where people still make their living from reeds.’

The filmmaker can share how the feeling of fear and confinement arises when watching the movie. “One of the earliest visuals that I had for this project was simply a man walking or laboring among the reeds while looking over his shoulder,” he reminisces. “This image, of looking back over the shoulder as if one is prey or a predator, this sense of ambiguity, suddenly occurred to me.

In “Reedland,” I found myself captivated by the prolonged and recurring shots of everyday routines, which seemed to echo an underlying sense of disquiet. As Bresser shared with The Hollywood Reporter, these mundane activities are at the core of the film: “These rituals and habits, I believe, truly define the essence of the movie.” Filming such routines brings me immense joy because they possess their own logical flow. They don’t require a narrative; instead, if given the right setting and enough time, they can transform into something poetic and ritualistic. They ground us in the ordinary, in reality, yet at the same time, they transcend the everyday and take on a beautiful, poetic quality. Cinema is an exceptional medium for capturing such rituals and routines.

Bresser chose Knobbe, a novice actor, as he found in Johan everything he desired. “It’s tricky to articulate, but it’s like developing an affection for someone who might suit a role in your movie,” he explains. “When I first encountered him, I felt a hint of familiarity, as if I had known this man for a long time. He is an exceptionally unique individual to collaborate with, both on set and off.

In some instances, nature appears to mirrors the emotions within the character of Reedland, while at other times, it seems independent, indifferent to human thoughts. How does Bresser perceive the bond between mankind and nature? “These are the questions I have been exploring, and perhaps still am,” he answers. “This individual is deeply tied to the land. The landscape is cultivated, existing solely through human effort who harvest the reeds. In many parts of Europe, we no longer have untamed wilderness. Moreover, in the movie, it becomes an internal landscape, a manifestation of his psychological state and this disconcerting struggle between good and evil.

Simultaneously, I found myself captivated by “nature’s indifference to human suffering,” as Bresser puts it, which is reminiscent of Armando’s idea of a “guilty landscape.” The director elaborates, saying that most of Armando’s work revolved around this poetic pondering about how nature can persist in the aftermath of terrible events.

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Bresser mentions his fascination with nature’s indifference to human suffering, a concept similar to Armando’s “guilty landscape.” The director expounds, stating that Armando’s work often centered around questioning how nature can continue after tragic occurrences in a particular location.

Reflecting on the theme of guilt, the reed-cutting hamlet in Johan’s narrative, as portrayed by Bresser, has a persistent feud, bordering on hostility, with the neighboring group known as the “Trooters” across the lake. This divisive us-against-them mentality offers insights into nationalism and prejudice. “It’s strikingly relevant yet evergreen,” Bresser shares with THR. “We often attribute darkness or evil to communities that aren’t our own, projecting our own biases. This universal human tendency, this dilemma ‘is evil originating from outside or within’, was evident in the very first image I depicted – a man looking over his shoulder with suspicion.

As a gamer, I’ve often wondered if “Trooter” is a real place. It was the teasing nickname for a neighboring town from my childhood. There was a fierce rivalry between us, but it feels like a relic of a bygone era now. However, I aimed to depict this tribal mentality in a more extreme fashion.

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2025-05-14 22:00