''Spetters'' (English translation: ''Splashes'') is a Dutch film released in 1980 and directed by

Paul Verhoeven Paul Verhoeven (; born 18 July 1938) is a Dutch filmmaker, who has worked variously in the Netherlands, the United States, and in France. He is known for directing genre films with strong satirical elements, often featuring graphic violence and ...

. The film follows the lives of three young men who have little in common but their love for dirt-bike racing. Set on the outskirts of

Rotterdam Rotterdam ( , ; ; ) is the second-largest List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city in the Netherlands after the national capital of Amsterdam. It is in the Provinces of the Netherlands, province of South Holland, part of the North S ...

, the film depicts three characters who are hoping to escape a dead-end,

working-class The working class is a subset of employees who are compensated with wage or salary-based contracts, whose exact membership varies from definition to definition. Members of the working class rely primarily upon earnings from wage labour. Most c ...

existence. Each of the boys is seduced by a young woman who, with her brother, sells French fries and kroket at the races. She is looking for the person who will help her get out of the business and away from her brother. The

motocross Motocross is a form of off-road motorcycle racing held on enclosed off-road circuits. The sport evolved from motorcycle trials competitions held in the United Kingdom. History Motocross first evolved in Britain from motorcycle trials competi ...

racers want to make their marks as professional racers, but their hopes don't go according to their plans. ''Spetters'' led to protests about how Verhoeven portrayed gays,

Christians A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the world. The words '' Christ'' and ''C ...

, the police, and the press. Although Verhoeven made one more film in the Netherlands, the response to ''Spetters'' led him to leave for

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood ...

. Despite the large amount of controversy surrounding it, the film proved to be popular, with 1,124,162 admissions in the Netherlands alone. The film was a small success in the United States, and it helped launch the Hollywood careers of Verhoeven and some of the actors, including Jeroen Krabbé,

Rutger Hauer Rutger Oelsen Hauer (; 23 January 1944 – 19 July 2019) was a Dutch actor, with a career that spanned over 170 roles across nearly 50 years, beginning in 1969. In 1999, he was named by the Dutch public as the Best Dutch Actor of the Century. H ...

and Renee Soutendijk.Dutch Centre for international cultural activities website
Dutch cinema: less sex and violence
, published 2008, visited 9 October 2010 The town of

Maassluis Maassluis () is a town in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. The municipality had a population of in and covered of which was water. It received town rights in 1811. History Maassluis was founded circa 1340 as a se ...

was the setting for the movie.

Plot

Two young

racers, Rien ( Hans van Tongeren) and Hans (Maarten Spanjer), and their mechanic, Eef (Toon Agterberg), dream of fame, fortune and casual sex. Their hero is legendary motocross champion Gerrit Witkamp (

), who inspires their competitive rides. Their lives are changed when they meet a young seductress named Fientje ( Renée Soutendijk). Eventually, she makes the three men face the reality of success, defeat and homosexuality.

Cast

* Hans van Tongeren as Rien * Renée Soutendijk as Fientje * Toon Agterberg as Eef * Maarten Spanjer as Hans * Marianne Boyer as Maya * Peter Tuinman as Jaap * Saskia van Basten-Batenburg (credited as Saskia Ten Batenburg) as Truus * Yvonne Valkenburg as Annette * Ab Abspoel (credited as Albert Abspoel) as Rien's Father * Rudi Falkenhagen as Hans' Father * Hans Veerman as Eef's Father * Ben Aerden as Elderly Homosexual * Kitty Courbois as Doctor * Margot Keune as Girl On Moped * Jonna Koster as Gerrit's Wife * Gees Linnebank as Homosexual * Hugo Metsers as a Hell's Angel * Peter Oosthoek as Priest * Jeroen Krabbé as Frans Henkhof *

as Gerrit Witkamp * Bruni Heinke as Mother In Car * Herman Vinck as Driver

Title

"''Spetter''" (plural: "''spetters''") means 'good looking boy or girl', comparable to the American hunk and babe. It also means "splatters" and thereby refers to dirt splattering up while motorcrossing as well as the oil splattering when Soutendijk's character lowers the chips into the frying pan at the chips stall where she works.

Film rating

* The film is classified as R18 in New Zealand.

References

External links

*
Symbolic Power and Religious Impotence in Paul Verhoeven’s Spetters
in ''Journal of Religion and Film'', October 2003 {{Paul Verhoeven 1980 films Dutch coming-of-age films 1980s Dutch-language films Films directed by Paul Verhoeven Dutch LGBTQ-related films 1980 LGBTQ-related films Motorcycle racing films Dutch erotic drama films 1980s erotic drama films Films set in the Netherlands Films set in Rotterdam Dutch sports films Dutch teen films 1980 drama films Films about gang rape Films about the working class