''De Marathon'' is a 2012 Dutch comedy film directed by
Diederick Koopal.
Plot
Gerard is a car garage owner in
Rotterdam
Rotterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Rotte'') is the second largest city and municipality in the Netherlands. It is in the province of South Holland, part of the North Sea mouth of the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta, via the ''"N ...
. He works there with his friends Kees, Nico and Leo. The Egyptian Youssoef also works in the garage.
Nico notices some odd papers in Gerard's office. It turns out that garage has big financial problems, which Gerard did not want the others to know about. Later Youssoef tells his collegeas that he used to be a
marathon
The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of , usually run as a road race, but the distance can be covered on trail routes. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk strategy. There are also wheelchair div ...
runner, and made a decent living off off it from sponsorships, before he got his foot injured. The men decide they want to participate in the yearly
Rotterdam Marathon
The Rotterdam Marathon, currently branded NN Rotterdam Marathon, is an annual marathon that has been held in Rotterdam, Netherlands since 1981. It has been held in April every year since the third edition in 1984 and attracts many top athletes. ...
to get rid off their debts. Their attempts to secure a sponsorship do not succeed however.
After a visit to the hospital Gerard learns that he has terminal cancer. He does not want anyone of his friends and family to know because he want life to go on as normal.
The men convince Youssoef to get them in touch with his uncle and old sponsor, Houssein. Gerard makes a deal: if he, Kees, Nico and Leo all finish the marathon, they get € 40,000, enough to pay their debts. If they don't, Houssein gets the car garage.
The next six months they train for the marathon, and Youssoef becomes their coach. Each of them has difficulty adapting to the new lifestyle without beer, smoking and pastries, as well as their dealing with their own personal problems. After they fail to show up to a race in
Amsterdam
Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...
, Youssoef almost quits. The men apologise and become more strict in their training.
On the day of the marathon everyone is present. Kees, Nico and Leo finish it without any major problems, but Gerard falls behind due to his cancer and collapses a short distance before the finish line. He later dies in the hospital. This is the first time that any of his friends learn that he had cancer, eventually deciding to sneak his dead body out of the hospital and push him over the finish line in a wheelchair. The film ends with the remaining friends still working at the garage, with Gerard's teenage son joining them as a new mechanic while Gerard's ashes sit in a jar against the wall.
Cast
*
Stefan de Walle - Gerard
*
Frank Lammers - Kees
*
Marcel Hensema
Marcel Hensema (born 16 April 1970) is a Dutch film actor. He appeared in more than seventy films since 1993. In 2007 he won the Golden Calf for Best Actor
The following is a list of winners of the Golden Calf for best actor/actress at the Nede ...
- Nico
*
Martin van Waardenberg Martin may refer to:
Places
* Martin City (disambiguation)
* Martin County (disambiguation)
* Martin Township (disambiguation)
Antarctica
* Martin Peninsula, Marie Byrd Land
* Port Martin, Adelie Land
* Point Martin, South Orkney Islands
Austral ...
- Leo
*
Mimoun Oaïssa
Mimoun Oaïssa (born 11 March 1975) is a Moroccan-Dutch actor and screenwriter.
Education and career
He was born in Beni Said, Nador Province, Morocco and graduated from Amsterdam Theatre School in 1999 and followed acting lessons abroad. He w ...
- Youssoef
References
External links
*
2012 comedy films
2012 films
Films set in Rotterdam
Dutch comedy films
{{Netherlands-film-stub