Lost on Arrival

Forum Expanded 2021

A man lived on the Caribbean island of Curaçao for many years during his working life. After his retirement he wants to spend his last years there. The preparations are going well: he sells his house and all his possessions are put into boxes. But then his health fails him. By the time he leaves, dementia has affected his memory.

This drama is portrayed using extremely minimalist means. Except for the opening scene, all we see is the view from a tropical veranda. At the same time we hear the man having telephone conversations with his son, in which he gradually acknowledges that he is losing his grip on reality. He may have gone to Curaçao, but he never actually arrived. (PolakVanBekkum)

by PolakVanBekkum
with Jan Van Bekkum, Ivar Van Bekkum Netherlands 2020 Dutch 8’ Colour

Part of the Berlinale Summer Special

With

Jan Van Bekkum
Ivar Van Bekkum

Crew

Director	PolakVanBekkum
Screenplay	PolakVanBekkum
Cinematography	PolakVanBekkum
Montage	PolakVanBekkum
Sound	Arno Peeters
Producer	PolakVanBekkum

World sales

LIMA

Produced by

PolakVanBekkum

Berlinale Meets | Interview

PolakVanBekkum

PolakVanBekkum are Esther Polak, born in 1962 in Amsterdam, and Ivar van Bekkum, born in 1965 in Rotterdam. Their work deals with movement and landscape. Over the years, they have developed a cinematographic method for synchronizing audio recordings with mapped routes, thus realizing documentaries based on movement. This allowed them to create films that proceed within projected satellite images from Google Earth. Their films are shown internationally at film festivals.

Filmography

2011 Etak: A navigation Opera; 4 min. · What is done cannot be undone; 6 min. 2013 n boy; 9 min. 2014 The Mailman’s Bag; 60 min. 2016 Once We Get There; 49 min. 2017 Homestead II; 1 min. · A Collision of Sorts; 17 min. 2018 The Fortune; 1 min. · Gaan om te Zijn (Go Move Be); 9 min. 2019 Daily Life at the Crossing; 4 min. · De Rit (The Ride); 12 min. 2021 Lost on Arrival

Bio- & filmography as of Berlinale 2021