Nothing_Personal_(2009_film) Knowpia

Nothing Personal
Nothing Personal
	theatrical poster
Directed by	Urszula Antoniak
Written by	Urszula Antoniak
Produced by	Edwin van Meurs ; Reinier Selen
Starring	Lotte Verbeek ; Stephen Rea
Cinematography	Daniel Bouquet
Edited by	Nathalie Alonso Casale
Music by	Ethan Rose
Production; company	Rinkel Film & TV Productions BV
Distributed by	Olive Films
Release date	14 August 2009;
Running time	84 minutes
Countries	Netherlands ; Ireland
Languages	English, Dutch

Nothing Personal is a 2009 Dutch-Irish drama film written and directed by Urszula Antoniak. It was presented at the Locarno International Film Festival for the international competition. It won the Golden Leopard for best debut film and Lotte Verbeek won the award for best actress.^[2] The film won four Golden Calves at the Dutch Film Festival of 2009, including best film.^[3]

Plot edit

Following a recent separation, a young woman hitchhikes through the Irish countryside. She encounters Martin, a solitary widower living on a peninsula, who offers her shelter and food in exchange for her work around the house. Initially reluctant, she agrees under the condition that he won't pry into her personal life. Asked for her name, she tells him to simply call her "You."

Despite their vow to stay purely professional, their relationship deepens through shared work, meals, and music. Martin's curiosity prompts him to search her belongings, revealing her identity as Anne Dijksen. He visits her apartment in Amsterdam. Meanwhile, she discovers Martin's Emergency Service Medal, shedding light on his history.

Upon his return, Martin discloses to Anne that he has been to her apartment by handing her a hairpin he found there. Anne is set aback and prepares to leave. While bidding farewell, Anne discloses that she wishes to live all by herself, just like he does. She enters his bed but he stops her advances, reasoning that he won his medal by „knowing when to stop“.

They return to their daily chores, caressing each other’s hands during a break. The next morning, Anne discovers that Martin unexpectedly passed away, leaving a letter addressed to "You," expressing remorse for leaving her behind and entrusting his home to her. Anne wraps him up in the bedding and spoons him, naked.

The film ends with Anne checking into a simple Spanish hotel. She tells the receptionist that she doesn’t have any luggage and lays down on the bed.

Reception edit

On Rotten Tomatoes it has an approval rating of 82% based on reviews from 11 critics.^[4] On Metacritic it has a score of 71% based on reviews from 6 critics.^[5]

Derek Elley of Variety was critical of the script but says the film succeeds "Largely thanks to Verbeek's performance, full of physical grace notes and small details, she manages to involve the audience, even though her character is more a movie creation than one based in real psychology."^[1]