Theo van Gogh’s last film is concerned with the murder of the controversial politician Pim Fortuyn and is a superbly edited ‘factional’ film which offers its own conspiracy theory on the death. The film starts by introducing the central character, a photographer named Jim de Booij who is taking pictures of a soap starlet when suddenly in the background gunshots are heard, followed immediately by police sirens. Having been right at the scene of the crime, the photographer finds himself deeply embroiled in the events and uncovers a spiral of plots and intrigue over the ensuing days. The tight direction of this political thriller is highly effectual at conveying an air of tension and van Gogh’s suggestion of a plot behind Fortuyn’s assassination makes for interesting subject-matter, even if one is not up to speed on Dutch politics. Of course the film has extra resonance for being the last work of one of the Netherlands’ finest directors, the maverick van Gogh who himself was murdered in 2004 by a young Muslim extremist, allegedly because of the content of his short film Submission. As a result, the film serves an important role in defining van Gogh’s legacy. OH
