Unter den Palmen

This film was shot entirely in Rotterdam and shows the German couple David (Helmut Berger) and Tanya (Sheri Hagen) who are kept by Ludwig (Udo Kier), David's half-brother. Ludwig has some dubious business to do and so he is staying in the port for a while. David and Tanya have followed him and are staying in a hotel. They pass the time committing robberies. When David finds a photo of an attractive young man among the booty of a robbery, his life is turned upside down. He will have to close the door on a suffocating past. Miriam Kruishoop wrote the screenplay around Helmut Berger, the legendary Austrian actor best known for his title role in Visconti's Ludwig. Unter den Palmen was the opening film at the Netherlands Film Festival in 1999. (Nederlands Film Festival)