A wildly original story — about a young man abandoned by his father, yet also strangely smothered by him. All he wants to be is a good bureaucrat. This movie is shot (and scored) like a Spielberg film. That’s meant as a compliment. I loved that this movie took place in Europe back in the day and had nothing to do with either war or class divided romance. The story could be anyplace, anytime. (It just looks cooler in 20s Rotterdam.) I didn’t quite “get” what some of the characters were up to by the time the film wrapped up (was the Mother a bitch? In whose interests was she working? Certainly not her own) but in all I recommend this curious, beautiful looking film.