Drift (2001)

AKA: Adrift
Directed by: Michiel van Jaarsveld
Starring: Christel Oomen (Sammy), Dragan Bakema (Jakob), Maud Dolsma (Liesbeth), Hans Hoes (Liesbeth’s dad), Bert Luppes (Father)
Country: Netherlands; Effed Up European Cinema
Language: Dutch; Effed Up Dutch Films
Runtime:
Genres: Teen, Old-Young, Incest

Plot – Spoilers:
Dutch siblings, Sammy and Jakob, are trying to get by. Sammy’s still at school and Jakob, who is older, sells rotten meat on the sly. Mother’s gone and Dad is an alcoholic slipping into dementia, who can only seem to remember his dead brother and absent wife.

Jakob mothers Sammy, obsessively getting her ready for school everyday and waiting on her to the point of stifling. Sammy’s need for independence, coupled with her burgeoning sexuality sees her craving attention, including from a wheelchair-bound old man across her window, whom she often flashes. Her friend’s father has also taken an interest in her, which Sammy encourages while also considering options closer home. It’s suggested that Jakob is a virgin who has been closeting his feelings for his sister, but it’s getting harder, with Sammy growing up.

Drift, like its title, moves slow, focusing on mood and the sexual tension between the two siblings, rather than attempting a quickie like Sammy’s old lover can only pull off.