One of the strongest Dutch movies of the year 2008 (the other one being Dunya & Desie) TBS is like a quality American TV movie, without the sentimental ending. Beautiful cinematography, excellent dark music, at their best moments create a creepy feeling like 7even. (A victim in a chest freezer!?) Theo Maassen, mainly known for his theater shows as a comedian, does a fine job, though he does seem to lose some of his focus towards the ending. Maassen plays a convicted criminal, already having served 14 years in jail, who remains under the supervision of the state until the therapists decide he's ready to return to society. (This is called TBS) Which is unlikely to happen as his supervisors want to transfer him to the long-stay, a place where you're basically stuck for good. Maassen escapes with a fellow prisoner (is he a figment of his imagination?) and, when alone, kidnaps a girl, as a trade-off, while he tries to prove his innocence. The girl seems to have problems at home (is her step dad nice to her?) and starts showing signs of the Stockholm syndrome. Which is at times hard to believe when you're kidnapped by someone who murders before your own eyes. A beautiful David Lynchian moment occurs when the two reach their destination, a typical Belgian camping site, where a little girl is singing while rocking a swing. Unfortunately, we don't hear the footsteps on the gravel, as the music drowns out most of the scene. It sometimes drowns the dialogue as well, which is actually not a bad thing considering the notorious bad dialogue in most Dutch films! TBS is worth a watch if you're interested in Northern European cinema, as a Dutch film I would give it 8/10, in the grand scheme of things it's a 6.5/10.
