SILVER

The Dutch East Indies, 1900. During the last gasps of the colonial era, the death of sugar plantation patriarch Jan (Hans Dagelet) sets off a struggle for his estate. Desperate to hang onto power, Jan's wife Agathe (Locarno Best Actress winner Renée Soutendijk) calls for her son Cornelius (Florian Myjer) to travel from the Netherlands to claim his rightful place as heir of the property. But a wrench is thrown into their plans when the will reveals that Jan has left everything to the young, illegitimate son he had with his Indonesian concubine and housekeeper Siti (Hayati Azis). The family refuses to relinquish control while their exploited employees and Siti plot their ultimate revenge. Brilliantly rendered in symmetrical frames and droll deadpan, this lush, biting satire is a brutal takedown of colonialism by Amsterdam-based Bosnian filmmaker Ena Sendijarević (TAKE ME SOMEWHERE NICE). Official Selection, 2023 Locarno, Toronto and Chicago film festivals. DIR/SCR Ena Sendijarević; PROD Erik Glijnis, Leontine Petit. Netherlands/France/Indonesia/Sweden, 2023, color, 102 min. In Dutch and Indonesian with English subtitles. RATED R

No AFI Member passes accepted.