Evelien
Encyclopedia
Evelien is a Dutch
dramedy television series made for broadcaster Net 5
. Actress Kim van Kooten
plays the eponymous starring role. So far two seasons have been made; the first episode was broadcast on March 7, 2006. In 2007 the series was sold to Belgian
channel Een.
. But still she feels that something essential is lacking.
Each episode chronicles her daily routine; waking up next to her husband, coming downstairs and telling her two children turn the TV off (Dutch
: "TV uit !"), struggling to the end of the day and going to bed. In the first episode it becomes clear that she has a lover. Theo runs a construction company; he can afford to book a hotel room for himself and Evelien for a year and a half.
When confronted with a fellow divorcing mother - who caught her husband having an affair - Evelien reconsiders her relationship with Theo. In the following episode, she flatly tells Theo that she doesn't want anything to do with him anymore - even though Theo has fallen in love with Evelien and keeps proposing to her. Things come to a head when he makes a phone-call while Evelien's husband is in the room. When she gets called out for her strange behaviour on the phone, Evelien's husband realizes what happens and storms out of the house. The following episodes show the aftermath of this temporary breakup, though the two eventually reconcile. However, all is still not perfect, as Evelien still has some doubts about not seeing Theo anymore. Soon afterwards she learns from Theo's sudden death.
, but things are still not serene. Because the house is largely decorated in a new-age minimalist sense, it causes tension with the children, Evelien and Harko too are struggling to get used to the new furniture. Breaking out of her boring routine Evelien takes a part-time job (which she loses for reasons of bankruptcy), but Harko is now going through the throes of a mid-life crisis
. Things only get worse when she finds out that one of her neighbours is an old lover of Harko's. Seeking relation therapy doesn't help and Harko eventually announces that he needs a weekend off in London; away from Evelien, and together with Wendy. Evelien bursts into tears when she discovers the truth, but her marriage turns out to be made of strong stuff and eventually all is forgiven.
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
dramedy television series made for broadcaster Net 5
NET 5
NET 5 is a commercial TV channel in the Netherlands owned by Sanoma and Talpa Holding . Other channels of the group in the Netherlands are SBS6 and Veronica.- History :...
. Actress Kim van Kooten
Kim van Kooten
Kim van Kooten is a Dutch actress and screenwriter. In international cinema she is best known for the 2003 Dutch/US co-production Phileine Says Sorry , filmed partly in New York, and in which she plays the lead.Van Kooten grew up in Zuidoostbeemster. She is the daughter of Kees van Kooten and...
plays the eponymous starring role. So far two seasons have been made; the first episode was broadcast on March 7, 2006. In 2007 the series was sold to Belgian
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
channel Een.
Season 1 (Spring 2006)
Evelien is a 38-year-old woman; she has two young daughters, a loving husband Harko and a beautiful house in AmsterdamAmsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
. But still she feels that something essential is lacking.
Each episode chronicles her daily routine; waking up next to her husband, coming downstairs and telling her two children turn the TV off (Dutch
Dutch language
Dutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...
: "TV uit !"), struggling to the end of the day and going to bed. In the first episode it becomes clear that she has a lover. Theo runs a construction company; he can afford to book a hotel room for himself and Evelien for a year and a half.
When confronted with a fellow divorcing mother - who caught her husband having an affair - Evelien reconsiders her relationship with Theo. In the following episode, she flatly tells Theo that she doesn't want anything to do with him anymore - even though Theo has fallen in love with Evelien and keeps proposing to her. Things come to a head when he makes a phone-call while Evelien's husband is in the room. When she gets called out for her strange behaviour on the phone, Evelien's husband realizes what happens and storms out of the house. The following episodes show the aftermath of this temporary breakup, though the two eventually reconcile. However, all is still not perfect, as Evelien still has some doubts about not seeing Theo anymore. Soon afterwards she learns from Theo's sudden death.
Season 2 (Fall 2006)
The family moves to a more spacious house in AmsterdamAmsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
, but things are still not serene. Because the house is largely decorated in a new-age minimalist sense, it causes tension with the children, Evelien and Harko too are struggling to get used to the new furniture. Breaking out of her boring routine Evelien takes a part-time job (which she loses for reasons of bankruptcy), but Harko is now going through the throes of a mid-life crisis
Mid-life crisis
Midlife crisis is a term coined in 1965 by Elliott Jaques and used in Western societies to describe a period of dramatic self-doubt that is felt by some individuals in the "middle years" or middle age of life, as a result of sensing the passing of their own youth and the imminence of their old age...
. Things only get worse when she finds out that one of her neighbours is an old lover of Harko's. Seeking relation therapy doesn't help and Harko eventually announces that he needs a weekend off in London; away from Evelien, and together with Wendy. Evelien bursts into tears when she discovers the truth, but her marriage turns out to be made of strong stuff and eventually all is forgiven.
Cast
- Kim van KootenKim van KootenKim van Kooten is a Dutch actress and screenwriter. In international cinema she is best known for the 2003 Dutch/US co-production Phileine Says Sorry , filmed partly in New York, and in which she plays the lead.Van Kooten grew up in Zuidoostbeemster. She is the daughter of Kees van Kooten and...
- Evelien - Peter BlokPeter BlokPeter Stephanus Blok , known as Peter Blok, is a Dutch stage, television, film, and voice actor.-Selected filmography:*Caught *Crocodiles in Amsterdam *Traces of Smoke...
- Harko - Sterre Herstel - Regina
- Naomi van Es - Julia
- Olga Zuiderhoek - Agnes
- Genio de Groot - Gert
- Rifka Lodeizen - Sylvia