AmnesiA Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		5.0
Overall		4.5

AmnesiA Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov April 16, 2023

Martin Koolhoven's "AmnesiA" (2001) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Cult Epics. The supplemental features on the release include exclusive new audio commentary recorded by Martin Koolhoven, actor Fedja van Huêt, and film scholar Peter Verstraten; exclusive new program with Martin Koolhoven and actress Carice van Houten; archival production featurette; two bonus films; and more. In Dutch, with optional English subtitles. Region-Free.

Last month, I was rearranging various releases in my library, and while double-checking my DVD titles, I pulled out a favorite film that I had not seen since early 2000. It was Danish helmer Christopher Boe’s Reconstruction, which Palm Pictures released on DVD in 2005. A few hours later, I made myself a cup of coffee and sat down to revisit it. Reconstruction has aged so well that it would be hugely disappointing if a local label does not reissue it on Blu-ray. I found its wit and style far more impressive than I remembered them, and because of this, I will likely revisit several other similarly good favorite Scandinavian films that I own only on DVD.

Reconstruction and Dutch helmer Martin Koolhoven’s AmnesiA could make quite the double bill. Both bend reality in unusual ways and do some very particular things to repeatedly redefine the viewer’s expectations. Reconstruction tells a more complex story. It is about a man who is abruptly drawn into a very fluid place where he begins pursuing a stunningly beautiful stranger. As they fall in love, the man then struggles to find a way out of it and begins wondering how much of what he is experiencing is real.

AmnesiA is about a young photographer (Fedja van Huet) who is forced into a similarly fluid place by an unexpected phone call. He is informed by his brother (Huet again), a small-time criminal, that their mother (Sacha Bulthuis) has fallen very sick and does not have too much time left to live. The photographer, who has recently been bothered by strange dreams, immediately hits the road, and somewhere along the way discovers in his car a beautiful girl (Carice van Houten) who agrees to accompany him back to his home place, a secluded and poorly managed estate called AmnesiA. Immediately after he reunites with his mother and brother at AmnesiA, his mind begins drifting away from the present and threatens to expose a dark secret that has been hiding for many years.

The romance in Reconstruction and the extremely dry humor in AmnesiA have almost identical crucial roles. They are the catalysts for the witty overlapping of past and present that is at the core of their stories. Also, both shape the identities of these films in very European ways. (Instead of heading down a straightforward path to reach a predictable destination, Reconstruction and AmnesiA emphasize the time spent on the path and its atmosphere).

In AmnesiA, the dry humor is a byproduct of a casual rejection of the classic rules of rationalizing and judging. For example, these classic rules dictate that if something is ‘good’ then it is not ‘bad’, and if something is ‘real’ then it is not ‘unreal’. AmnesiA unleashes several curve balls suggesting that these classic rules may be imperfect, but without the heavy intellectual baggage that would have transformed it into an arty endurance test.

The best of these curve balls is dispatched after AmnesiA suggests that the photographer and his brother rationalize and judge very similarly despite being very different individuals. AmnesiA then presents evidence in the form of a disturbing flashback, broken into multiple pieces, which implies that one of the brothers just turned out better at being ‘good’ while keeping a secret that could have destroyed their family.

In an exclusive video introduction, Koolhoven reveals that some viewers have had trouble detecting the dry sense of humor that permeates AmnesiA. I think that it is very Dutch which could be why, but I also think that its tainting presence is unmissable and all of the thought-provoking contrasts materialize because of it.

*In addition to AmnesiA, this two-disc set features two bonus films directed by Koolhoven for Dutch TV -- Duister Licht (1997) and Suzy Q (1999). The first can be best described as a Dutch homage to Rob Reiner's Misery (1990). The second is a pretty surreal Dutch time capsule reviving the 1960s that seems very easy to link to Jean-Pierre Jeunet's Amélie (2001).

AmnesiA Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.67:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, AmnesiA arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Cult Epics.

The following screencaptures are included with this article:

Screencaptures #1-22: AmnesiA
Screencaptures #28-31: Suzy Q
Screencaptures #32-35: Duister Licht

According to press materials provided by Cult Epics, AmnesiA is sourced from a very recent 4K master. I do not have a previous experience with the film, so I can only comment on its current appearance on Blu-ray.

It is very easy to tell that AmnesiA was shot with a modest budget. However, there is quite a bit of stylizing and sleek camerawork in it that makes it look very good. The 4K master that was used to source this release is very healthy and beautiful, too. Delineation, clarity, and depth are usually excellent, so the quality of the visuals is quite impressive. Colors look rich and often lush in very particular ways that enhance the film's surreal atmosphere very well. Image stability is excellent. I did not notice any technical anomalies. It is possible that in a few areas some light crushing could have been avoided, but it is very difficult to conclude that the more prominent blacks are not intended. Perhaps some minor encoding optimizations could have been introduced, but on my system the entire film looked gorgeous. I did notice a few tiny white nicks. However, I did encounter large cuts, debris, damage marks, warped or torn frames to report in our review. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player regardless of your geographical location).

*Suzy Q and Duister Licht have been remastered, too. While shot under different conditions and boasting a different stylistic appearance, the former looks very good, often comparable to AmnesiA. The latter looks a bit rough, but still quite good.

AmnesiA Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are three standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: Dutch LPCM 2.0, Dutch DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, and Dutch Dolby Digital 5.1. Optional English subtitles are provided for the main feature.

I viewed the entire film with the LPCM 2.0 track. Clarity, sharpness, and stability are outstanding. Also, even though the film does not have any material that produces memorable action footage, there are several areas with very good dynamic contrasts. The English translation was outstanding.

AmnesiA Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

BLU-RAY DISC ONE - AMNESIA

• Introduction - an exclusive video introduction recorded by director Martin Koolhoven. In English. (1 min).

• A Conversation with Martin Koolhoven and Carice van Houten - in this new program, Martin Koolhoven and Carice van Houten recall the exact moment in which AmnesiA arrived, and discuss the special connection that exists between them and how it helped them work together, the film's sense of humor and some of its intended ambiguity, the main characters and their environment, etc. In English, not subtitled. (46 min).

• The Making of Amnesia - this archival program focuses on the production of AmnesiA. The program features clips from a lengthy interview with Martin Koolhoven that was conducted by Dana Linssen, as well as raw footage from the shooting of the film. In Dutch, with English subtitles. (38 min).

• Behind the Scenes with Carice van Houten - in this archival featurette, Carice van Houten quickly explains why she agreed to do AmnesiA. In Dutch, with English subtitles. (2 min).

• Commentary - this audio commentary was recorded by Martin Koolhoven, actor Fedja van Huêt, and film scholar Peter Verstraten. The three gentlemen go down memory lane and discuss in great detail the conception of AmnesiA, its themes and ambience as well as the dry sense of humor that glues them together, the film's reception and the Dutch film scene, etc. The entire commentary is in Enlgish.

BLU-RAY DISC TWO - BONUS FILMS

• Suzy Q (1999) - this early film directed by Martin Koolhoven is a pretty surreal Dutch time capsule reviving the 1960s that seems very easy to link to Jean-Pierre Jeunet's Amélie (2001). The original poster that was prepared for it declares that it was the "most awarded Dutch film of 1999". Remastered. 1080p. Dutch Dolby Digital 2.0, with optional English subtitles. (85 min).

• Trailer presented here is a remastered vintage trailer for Suzy Q. In Dutch, with English subtitles. (2 min).

• Duister Licht (1997) this early film directed by Martin Koolhoven can be best described as a Dutch homage to Rob Reiner's Misery (1990). Remastered. 1080p. Dutch Dolby Digital 2.0, with optional English subtitles. (55 min).

• Trailer presented here is a remastered vintage trailer for Suzy Q. In Dutch, with English subtitles. (1 min).

AmnesiA Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

While Dutch helmer Martin Koolhoven might have conceived AmnesiA to be only or primarily a witty black comedy, his film does a lot more to impress. For example, it unleashes several curve balls that end up targeting the classic rules of rationalizing and judging in a surprisingly original way. It reminded me of a very good Danish film called Reconstruction that was completed at approximately the same time and is a very similar mind-bender. In addition to AmnesiA, which has been remastered in 4K and looks lovely now, this two-disc set from Cult Epics has two bonus films directed by Koolhoven that are just as intriguing. I particularly enjoyed Suzy Q, which feels like a distant Dutch relative of Amelie. The two-disc set is Region-Free. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.