Deed Undone

Frans van de Staak, Holland's most prominent avant-garde director, made this film "...about people who want to get something done. I leave out the why as well as the results. What's left is the moment of endeavour. There are two couples. The four characters are played by eight actors. There is little dialogue. Sometimes a couple does not seem to live together, just to be alive together in the same room. Each one of them at one time walks through an anymous part of Amsterdam. They put their feet down with a will, clicking their way through town. We do not know where or why they are going. To a meeting, to get some exercise, nowhere? They have difficulty in communicating. They leave notes to each other on the table rather than talk. The film sometimes mocks their intensity. It is surprising that such a strange film can keep the viewer's attention for an hour and a quarter. But it certainly does. (Dutch Fim 1988-89)

Directed by Frans van de Staak, Deed Undone leans on a strong ensemble — Thom Hoffman, Martien van den Ouwelant, Olga Zuiderhoek — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.

The film landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about drama titles of 1989.