Rietland (Reedland)

One of the true revelations at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival was Reedland, the first Dutch film in 27 years to be selected for La Semaine de la Critique, the showcase dedicated to emerging talent. In this striking feature debut by Sven Bresser, a reed cutter discovers the lifeless body of a young girl on his land. Haunted by a strange sense of guilt, the grandfather embarks on his own search for answers within a closed community bound by unchanging traditions. The stark Dutch landscape, rendered in brooding cinematography and charged with an ominous atmosphere, stands as an indifferent witness. The weathered face of Gerrit Knobbe, a real-life reed cutter with no acting background, is a landscape in itself. Following in the footsteps of Alex van Warmerdam's surreal polder thrillers, the Netherlands now has as a 'reed thriller'. One that builds with deceptive slowness and lingers long after the final frame.