Jelmer Wristers

Where do homeless people in Amsterdam find their night’s rest? This short documentary makes poignantly clear what it means to sleep outside as a social outcast. They populate car parks, mini-trailers and the spaces under fly-overs; the homeless people of Amsterdam, whose sleeping habits are spotlighted in this distressing documentary. Filmmaker Jelmer Wristers called on various outdoor sleepers, the camera in their faces, registering how they spend the night in their hiding places. From sleeping on a bench in open air to a 'luxury tent' where a buzzing fly interferes with sleep. And from the solitary loner hiding under boxes and crates to the group sleepers who set out together.

This expressionist portrait shows what lies hidden under the everyday lives of a young farmer and Dennis, who is addicted to amphetamine. The farmer feeds his pigs and Dennis surreptitiously feeds the monkey on his back. To avoid being dismissed, he helps where possible. For example, by holding the bleeding piglets when they are being neutered. At night, both men retire into a weird darkness. One plays with a curious installation, the other slips into a futuristic psychosis. Until a new day dawns.