New Terstall is vintage

‘What would you pay for me, just for one time,’ barmaid Sara (Roberta Petzoldt) teasingly asks one of her regulars, Midas (Teun Kuilboer). Shocked and a little shy he swivels on his stool. But he does answer her: he would like to sleep with her for two thousand euros. ‘Deal,’ says Sara. How do they deal with this embarrassing agreement when they meet again in the sober light of day? That is the premise from which Eddy Terstall’s (Simon, SEXtet) newest film Deal starts, the first creation over which he has enjoyed complete creative control. This is because, for the first time, Terstall financed his movie through crowdfunding and sponsorship. The director chose this approach after growing frustrated by slow broadcasters and subsidisers. For instance, it has been four years since his last film Vox Populi came out. Deal is, in many ways, vintage Terstall. The main characters are young people and they talk about relationships. The grand themes from his last few films (euthanasia, populism) have been abandoned. The fireworks are provided by the actors who get lots of dialogue in unhurried conversation scenes. And you are left wondering until the very end whether the tentative, teasing main characters will actually end up in bed. According to Terstall, and many critics, Deal may be his best yet, so be sure to go see it, from 13 September at the Herenstraat cinema or CineMec.