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independent.com presents
MEET THE MAKERS interviews with the filmmakers
ISSUE
THREE JAN. 27–FEB. 7 • 2015
Screen Cuisine
soof
Director antoinette beumer soofdefilm.nl
F
or Soof, sisters Antoinette and Marjolein Beumer joined forces to direct (Antoinette) and write (Marjolein) this story of a struggling wife, mother, and personal chef who gets the opportunity of a lifetime. The film they came away with is poignant, thoughtful, and laugh-out-loud funny — and it gives a refreshingly honest woman’s perspective on life’s little (and big) hurdles.
I know your sister wrote the script. How long had you two been scheming with the idea of this story? Not so long. We were asked to make a movies based on a story by Sylvia Witteman, who is a famous columnist in Holland who writes about modern times. Marjolein and I were big fans of her work and recognized ourselves in the way she writes about life and its struggles.
What do you think makes a strong female character? For one, when you can identify yourself with the character, want to be her, and want to do the same things she does. But she also has to be real, flesh and blood, and not a superwoman. She needs to be vulnerable, make mistakes, but also try to do the right thing.
What do you hope people take away from the movie? We all think that at one point our life will be grand and compelling, but then eventually we wake up and think, “Where did the time go?” If you want that grand life, you have to take some big chances, but sometimes it’s not about taking the big chances, but seeing the little things. Like, sometimes your prince charming is sitting on the sofa right next to you, but in order to see that he really needs to see you. — Aly Comingore 1.