Unknown Brood is a Dutch documentary, directed by

Dennis Alink Dennis or Denis is a first or last name from the Greco-Roman name Dionysius, via one of the Christian saints named Dionysius. The name came from Dionysus, the Greek god of ecstatic states, particularly those produced by wine, which is someti ...

. The film depicts the life of painter and rock-'n-roll musician

Herman Brood Hermanus "Herman" Brood (; 5 November 1946 – 11 July 2001) was a Dutch musician, painter, actor and poet. As a musician he achieved artistic and commercial success in the 1970s and 1980s, and was called "the greatest and only Dutch rock 'n' ...

and premiered at the IDFA in

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the capital and most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population of 907,976 within the city proper, 1,558,755 in the urban ar ...

. The film was nominated for Best Dutch Documentary and has been released in cinemas by distributor Amstel Film.

Synopsis

On 11 July 2001, Herman Brood commits suicide by jumping off the roof of the Hilton hotel. In his personal videos, song lyrics and interviews Brood has left a trail of breadcrumbs pertaining to the questions his death has given rise to. The documentary takes a look back to re-experience these important moments with the help of these never-before-seen footages and the people that stood closest to him.

Production

The filmmakers started this project without any budget and it took them four years to make. Before shooting began cinematographer Thomas van der Gronde and director

experimented with a new documentary-approach by writing a 50-page script and a graphic film-plan in which archive and new to shoot scenes would fuse. This way the locations and lighting of interviews would change and develop every other scene to complement the state of mind of Herman Brood. Eventually a small budget was raised through crowdfunding and after the film was edited the Netherlands Film Fund and

KPN KPN (in full Koninklijke KPN N.V., also Royal KPN N.V.) is a Dutch landline and mobile telecommunications company. KPN originated from a government-run postal, telegraph and telephone service and is based in Rotterdam, Netherlands. History Un ...

stepped in so the film could be completed.

Seen in the film

Frank Black Charles Michael Kittridge Thompson IV (born April 6, 1965) is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He is best known as the frontman of the alternative rock band Pixies, with whom he performs under the stage name Black Francis. F ...

Nina Hagen Catharina "Nina" Hagen (; born 11 March 1955) is a German singer, songwriter, and actress. She is known for her theatrical vocals and rose to prominence during the punk and new wave movements in the late 1970s and early 1980s. She is known as ...

* Anton Corbijn *

Henny Vrienten Henny Vrienten (27 July 1948 – 25 April 2022) was a Dutch musician best known as the singer and bassist of the popular 1980s ska pop band Doe Maar. He also composed television and film scores. Biography Early days Vrienten began his caree ...

* Jules Deelder *

Dany Lademacher Dany Lademacher (born Daniël Germain Jean Lademacher, also Danny; 17 June 1950) is a Belgian guitar player. Born in Etterbeek, he played in a number of Belgian bands before joining prominent Dutch band Herman Brood and his Wild Romance. He was a ...

External links

*
Official Trailer

Facebook

IDFA: Unknown Brood

Official website

Review
2016 films Dutch documentary films Rockumentaries Herman Brood Dutch rock music films {{bio-documentary-film-stub