Godforsaken 2020

Stan Meijer is a teenage boy residing in a small southern Dutch town during the 1990s. Feeling discontented at home and estranged from his mother and stepfather, Stan forms a friendship with local delinquent Mike Verheije. Mike is secretly in a relationship with Anna, a girl whose parents disapprove of him, and Stan helps facilitate their clandestine meetings. Through Mike, his younger brother Yuri, and their friend Sef, who has a penchant for drug use, Stan becomes embroiled in petty crimes and the illicit trade of equipment for cannabis cultivation.

During this tumultuous period, Stan discovers the existence of his biological father, Bert Mulder, and expresses a desire to live with him. Tragically, before they can forge a bond, Bert dies in a road accident, leaving Stan to navigate his life without this crucial connection. After Mike is released from incarceration, Sef informs him of a substantial cash stash belonging to cannabis grower Johan Schreurs. Stan and Mike devise a plan to rob Schreurs, but the heist takes a disastrous turn, resulting in Schreurs’s death.

This event thrusts Mike and Stan into the orbit of Osman Sukur, a formidable local criminal and former employer of Schreurs. Osman interrogates them regarding the murder and subsequently co-opts them for violent jobs, forcing them deeper into the criminal underworld. Their tasks escalate, including the murder of a man named Hassan, as Mike, Stan, Yuri, and Sef increasingly entangle themselves in Osman’s illicit operations. Meanwhile, Anna moves in with Mike and becomes pregnant, but their relationship begins to fracture as Mike immerses himself further into violence.

As the story unfolds, Anna discloses details about Schreurs’s death during police questioning, prompting Osman to grow suspicious of the group’s loyalty. Following a tragic turn, Anna loses her pregnancy and returns to her parents. Desiring to rekindle their relationship, Mike persuades her to come back, yet tensions simmer as Osman accuses Stan of cooperating with law enforcement. In a critical confrontation, Mike challenges Osman, which ultimately places him squarely in the crosshairs of Osman’s organization.

In the midst of this chaos, Stan and Anna contemplate fleeing together, with Stan secretly collecting funds to facilitate her escape. Returning to Sef, Mike hears claims about a hidden stash of cash in the home of an elderly couple. The trio—Mike, Stan, and Sef—execute the robbery but struggle to find the expected money. During the heist, Sef exposes Stan’s plan to save money for Anna, igniting Mike’s wrath. The ensuing confrontations fracture their bonds, culminating in a violent fallout that leaves Stan as the sole survivor.

In reflection, Stan acknowledges the painful lesson learned: the people he loves consistently vanish from his life, leading him to conclude that emotional distance is a shield against potential heartbreak.