Van de koele meren des doods (1982)

Distributed internationally as Hedwig: The Quiet Lakes, the Dutch historical drama Van de koele meren des doods (1982) chronicles the coming of age of a nineteenth-century socialite who’s been sheltered from any form of sexual education. Married off to a hopeless prude at a young age, Hedwig (Renée Soutendijk) yearns to discover the possibilities of carnal connection. Fortunately her prayers are answered by the arrival of a sensual musician who wastes no time in impregnating her. When her infant child dies, however, Hedwig begins a downward spiral of depression and drug abuse that threatens to permanently silence her. Based on a daring turn-of-the-century novel by Frederik van Eeden, Nouchka van Brakel’s film manages to coax an appropriately ribald performance from its lead. Lithe, Dutch-born Soutendijk manages to look completely irresistible at all moments, regardless of whether she’s boffing or breast-feeding.