Although the meaning of the word can vary, the term "The Low Countries" tends to apply to The Netherlands plus Belgium or, alternatively, The Netherlands plus Flanders, the northern part of Belgium. The expression pretty much explains itself : 1) much of these lands are as flat as a pancake and 2) much of these lands lie under or near sea level. As a result the inhabitants of these parts of the world (to which, by the way, I belong) are terrified of floods. This is especially true for the Dutch, who suffered atrociously during the 1953 flood disaster. In order to stave off similar disasters, titanic infrastructure works were undertaken and vast amounts of money were spent. It resulted in an unprecedented system of defences.
"Als de dijken breken" paints a scenario in which even these superb defences are thwarted and in which vast walls of water sweep through densely populated areas. In such times of crisis, people show their true colours. For instance, some prison guards are fully capable of letting prisoners drown like rats, while others will risk their lives in order to save prisoners trapped in cells. When immobilised on the road amidst other traffic, some car drivers will wait for human help or divine intervention ; others will leave the road with a mighty swerve, in order to flee through meadows and fields.
It's not a bad series but it suffers from the kind of clichés and tropes associated with disaster movies. For instance, you get your mandatory scenes with politicians understating the problem and delaying evacuation out of fear of hurting the economy. (In the series, strangely, it's the Dutch prime minister who delays too long, while his Belgian counterpart acts with commendable speed.) Moreover, the series works best while showing the actual disaster, complete with good effects and stunt work. The depiction of the aftermath is less convincing, mixing moments of fine acting and deep emotion with predictable clichés or boring digressions.
I won't tell you the ending, but it involves the Dutch prime minister proposing a technical solution so bonkers that it should get him a room in a mental institution. At least, that's my humble opinion ; in the series, there are people hailing the man as a visionary genius. ("And now for my next trick : dear fellow citizens, I propose to end world hunger by teaching every family on Earth how to catch and cook kangaroos !")
Still, "Als de dijken breken" deserves praise for the sweep and relevance of its subject matter. The Low Countries will survive or perish, depending on their ability to keep out the ever-threatening waters ; it is important that this topic remains the subject of a lively societal and scientific debate, especially in these times of climate change.
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