If Yes, Okay

The Spijkerbergs are an absurdly rich family, but they are also richly absurd. The father – a foolish, hotshot financier – collects miniature dioramas of historical atrocities as a hobby. Mother is a has-been prima donna fighting against the vagaries of age and fame. Inheriting their privilege and casual cruelty is daughter Amy, a rebellious if somewhat insular teenager longing to break out of her gilded cage. To gain a semblance of control over her cocooned existence, Amy produces an autobiographical mock-Kabuki performance that parodies her family. Dutch visual artist and musician Dick Verdult’s Als uw gat maar lacht (If Yes, Okay) is an idiosyncratic black comedy about the indiscreet charms of the super wealthy, whose ludicrous attempts at finding meaning in their empty lives, while not exactly endearing, are not without a tinge of pathos. Verdult’s film is, however, not the place for nuanced social commentary or psychological portraiture. The satire is broad, emotional identification held back and the atmosphere is that of pure play. With its bright palette of saturated colours, Als uw gat maar lacht (If Yes, Okay) is easy on the eye, but it refuses to play to the gallery, veering away from predictable pleasures at every turn with off-kilter scene developments and formal choices. The result is a film that dares to embrace excess and bad taste. (International Film Festival Rotterdam)