De Idioot

Filmstill De Idioot

Filmstill De Idioot

De Idioot (The Idiot), 1999. 16mm to SD, color, sound, Dutch spoken; English subtitles, 6 min 38 sec, Park Zypendaal, Arnhem

A young man in a purple sports jacket, acted by Jeroen Eisinga, with the emblem of a crown on his back, appears from a cornfield and is met by a dog. Standing on a wooden bench, he addresses the corn crop as if it were a crowd of people. In the midst of the chirping of birds and grasshoppers he pours forth his lamentation, spoken in sonorous Old Dutch. He solemnly declares how he loves his people and describes his kingdom as the realm of the disconnected. He testifies to his sinfulness, and describes the celestial task he has been given as penance, to make a barefoot pilgrimage towards the horizon. Having reached his goal on the horizon he will be told the purpose of his journey and what is destination. The king removes his trainers and sets off down a path towards the horizon, leaving a trail of bloody footmarks.

behind the scenes