Antonia’s Line 1995

Following World War II, the widow Antonia, Willeke van Ammelrooy, and her daughter Danielle, Els Dottermans, arrive in Antonia’s hometown as her mother lies on her deathbed. Antonia reconnects with her old friend Crooked Finger, Jan Decleir, a depressed intellectual who has withdrawn from the world and rarely leaves his house. She also begins to attract a growing circle of followers: Deedee, Marina de Graaf, a mentally handicapped girl, and Loony Lips, Wimie Wilhelm, a simple-minded man who falls in love with Deedee. A social pariah, Pitte flees the village, while Antonia turns down an offer of marriage from Farmer Bas, choosing instead to cultivate a lasting romance with him.

Danielle, who possesses a vivid imagination, blossoms into an artist who longs to raise a child rather than settle into marriage. Antonia and Danielle travel to the city to find a man who can impregnate Danielle, which leads to the birth of Therèse, Carolien Spoor, a child prodigy. Danielle then falls in love with Therèse’s tutor, Lara, Elsie de Brauw, and the two women begin a devoted lesbian relationship. Therèse forms a deep understanding and kinship with Crooked Finger beyond what Danielle can provide, hinting at a perceptive bond that transcends conventional family ties.

Years pass, and Pitte returns to town to claim his inheritance and rapes Therèse. Antonia responds with a curse, and the violent act is followed by punishment as he is beaten by villagers and subsequently drowned by his brother. Therèse remains unable to find an intellectual equal, yet she eventually enters a relationship with a childhood friend, which leads to pregnancy. She decides to keep the baby and gives birth to Sarah, Thyrza Ravesteijn, the film’s narrator who harbors a fascination with death. Sarah witnesses the slow fading of the town’s elders, including Crooked Finger, who takes his own life, and Loony Lips, who suffers a tractor accident on the farm. Antonia ultimately dies of old age, surrounded by family and friends, leaving behind a legacy of resilience and complicated, intertwined lives.