Filmmaker Koert Davidse makes an intimate portrait of his brother Bart Davidse, a free-spirited artist who died of AIDS in 1986 at the age of 28.

In the 1980s, HIV was rarely spoken about openly in the Netherlands; it was a disease that was still shrouded in mystery at the time and increasingly created fear, especially in queer communities. The brothers grew up in a family in Zeeland, where a culture of silence prevailed and Bart’s coming-out was therefore not discussed. Forty years later, Koert returns to this time and the story of his brother. In their youth, their lives were symbiotic, but as Bart grew older and eventually moved to Amsterdam to study the arts, he led a life that felt more and more elusive from the outside.

Larger themes such as the HIV-crisis and Bart’s gay lifestyle in the Netherlands of the 1980s are interwoven with a tender and personal portrait of the extraordinary person he was. The people who knew him, from both Zeeland and Amsterdam, look back on his life.

After the film, Koert will be present for a Q&A.

Letterboxd