The film Vals Licht is based on the book by the same name of Joost Zwagerman. It is the story of a student who meets a young prostitute and falls in love with her. When she seems to reciprocate his feelings, he attempts "to save her from her fate" and in the process he allows himself to be drawn into the web of lies that she has woven around her life. In the end the way they met becomes an insurmountable obstacle in their relationship and the lies destroy what is left.
On paper it is a strong story, including love, drugs and crime in the red light district, but the dramatisation for the screen does leave something to be desired. In particular the acting of the main characters (Amanda Ooms most of all), is unconvincing in the film's most intense moments. This is all the more serious since the director van Gogh was known mostly for his excellent work with actors.
The film contains a number of references to other films and contemporary events in the Netherlands, such as a spoof on the young actress who made headlines by appearing nude in Playboy magazine in a wheelchair, after having suffered a stroke that left her paralysed.
On paper it is a strong story, including love, drugs and crime in the red light district, but the dramatisation for the screen does leave something to be desired. In particular the acting of the main characters (Amanda Ooms most of all), is unconvincing in the film's most intense moments. This is all the more serious since the director van Gogh was known mostly for his excellent work with actors.
The film contains a number of references to other films and contemporary events in the Netherlands, such as a spoof on the young actress who made headlines by appearing nude in Playboy magazine in a wheelchair, after having suffered a stroke that left her paralysed.
