A Happy Hand

By alternating documentary with fiction, a portrait is drawn of Peter van Straaten, eminent draughtsman of political cartoons, the long-term Parool serial Agnes and a countless series of painfully comical sketches of everyday life. Interviews with Van Straaten - outside, at home and at work - smoothly merge with dramatised excerpts from Agnes (played by people like Renée Fokker, Pierre Bokma and Hans Kesting). 'That's me, dressed up as a woman', he says about this creation. The camera peeks over his shoulder when Van Straaten makes his black-and-white drawings with pen and ink. His humour is harsh; he draws people in all their spinelessness, sadness and dishonesty, with a remarkable eye to facial expressions and postures. Through his drawings and stories, he also talks about his personal experiences with alcohol, relationships, family, health and sex - and his lifelong love for birds in the open field.

Pierre Bokma

Ingeborg Elzevier

Renée Fokker

Hans Kesting

Michiel Romeyn

Reinout Scholten van Aschat

• Pieter VerhoeffWriter · Director
• Peter van StraatenWriter

Release date

March 24, 2005

Status

Released

Original language

Dutch

Runtime

1h 30m

Genres

Drama