Movies: I shall see (2025) by Mercedes Stalenhoef: A poetic and introspective journey through loss, perception, and rediscovery
- dailyentertainment95
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A woman’s descent into darkness and rebirth through acceptance
Ik zal zien (2025) — internationally known as I Shall See — is a Dutch drama directed by Mercedes Stalenhoef and written by Britt Snel. The film follows Lot (Aiko Beemsterboer), a young woman whose life abruptly changes when she goes blind. Her days, once vivid with color and motion, collapse into a fog of dreams, fears, and memories. As Lot retreats into her imagination, the boundaries between fantasy and reality dissolve, forcing her to confront the emotional chaos that blindness brings.Through the guidance of loved ones — including her partner Micha (Minne Koole) and friend Casper (Roman Derwig) — Lot must find a way to live again, not by regaining sight, but by accepting her new perception of the world. Shot in rich visual textures and subdued tones, Ik zal zien premiered in the Netherlands on April 3, 2025, produced by Labyrint Film and NTR, earning critical acclaim for its emotional authenticity and hypnotic cinematography.
Why to Recommend: Deeply human, visually striking, and emotionally resonant
Aiko Beemsterboer’s career-best performance: As Lot, Beemsterboer delivers a deeply moving portrayal of internal transformation. Her performance carries both vulnerability and quiet strength, capturing how grief and fear evolve into resilience. Without relying on dialogue, she conveys entire emotional worlds through stillness, breath, and tone.Her depiction of blindness feels profoundly real — not defined by pity or tragedy, but by adaptation and rediscovery. It’s a performance that invites empathy without sentimentality.
Mercedes Stalenhoef’s visionary direction: Known for her intimate documentaries, Stalenhoef brings a distinct blend of realism and lyricism. She portrays blindness not just as a loss of sight but as an expansion of inner vision — transforming darkness into a metaphor for emotional awakening.Her direction relies on sensory filmmaking: blurred frames, muffled sound, and luminous flashes of light that mimic the way Lot’s mind constructs the world she can no longer see.
Emotional and philosophical storytelling: The film explores universal themes of control, loss, and acceptance through a sensory lens. It’s less about overcoming disability and more about reimagining life from within — an inward journey where acceptance becomes the truest form of vision.
Where to watch: https://tv.kpn.com/details/VOD/5253650 (Netherlands)
Link IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt27773872/
Link Review: https://cineuropa.org/en/newsdetail/479025
About movie: https://labyrintfilm.nl/portfolio/i-shall-see/
What is the Trend Followed: The sensory introspective drama
Ik zal zien embodies the emerging European trend of sensory-driven psychological cinema, where sound, movement, and perception replace conventional narrative structures.
Sensory storytelling: Like Sound of Metal and The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, it uses sensory distortion to explore identity and resilience. The viewer experiences the world as the protagonist does — fragmented, fragile, yet profoundly alive.
Female subjectivity and self-discovery: It continues a wave of European dramas centered on women’s interior worlds (Saint Omer, Corsage, Past Lives). Lot’s story isn’t about victimhood but transformation — reclaiming identity through introspection.
Minimalism as emotion: The film embraces quietness, using stillness and silence as tools of empathy. Its minimalist pacing mirrors Lot’s psychological state — confusion giving way to calm.
The new Dutch realism: Reflecting the Netherlands’ recent cinematic shift toward poetic realism, the film balances grounded emotional truth with stylized visual storytelling.
Mind-body duality: The narrative aligns with modern philosophical cinema, examining how physical limitation can ignite spiritual and emotional clarity.
Dreamscape structure: Blurring reality and imagination creates a fluid narrative that mirrors memory’s nonlinearity, a hallmark of contemporary art cinema.
Summary: Ik zal zien belongs to a new generation of European films where perception itself becomes storytelling, revealing inner change through sensory experience rather than plot.
Director’s Vision: Seeing beyond sight
Empathy as visual language: Stalenhoef’s direction transforms blindness into cinematic poetry, using perspective shifts, sound distortions, and fragmented imagery to place viewers inside Lot’s mind.
Feminine resilience: The director highlights the quiet heroism of adaptation — the emotional strength to rebuild one’s world when everything visible disappears.
Documentary authenticity: Her background in nonfiction informs her realism — dialogue feels unscripted, spaces feel lived-in, and emotions unfold naturally.
Symbolic contrast: The film uses darkness not as despair but as rebirth — the absence of sight becomes the birth of a new kind of awareness.
Themes: Loss, identity, and the redefinition of perception
Acceptance and rebirth: Lot’s journey mirrors the universal process of grief — denial, fear, and eventual acceptance of change.
Perception beyond vision: The film challenges what it means to “see,” suggesting that understanding comes from within, not from eyes but from emotional clarity.
Isolation and connection: Blindness isolates Lot physically, but emotional connection becomes her bridge back to life.
Fantasy vs. reality: Her dreams reveal both escape and truth — showing how imagination becomes both refuge and prison.
Key Success Factors: Emotional precision and visual grace
Immersive sound design: The film’s sonic landscape — whispers, echoes, distant footsteps — creates a tactile sense of perception that replaces visual cues.
Emotional intimacy: Each frame feels close, human, and fragile. The film’s restrained style avoids melodrama, letting emotion emerge naturally.
Philosophical depth: Its questions about identity and perception elevate it beyond disability narratives into existential reflection.
Aesthetically cohesive: Cinematographer’s use of blurred focus and low contrast light reflects Lot’s shifting world — disorientation transformed into beauty.
Awards & Nominations: Critical praise for poetic storytelling
Ik zal zien premiered to strong acclaim in the Dutch film circuit and is expected to feature in major European festivals such as Rotterdam and Venice Days 2025. Critics praised Beemsterboer’s performance and Stalenhoef’s delicate direction. It currently holds early nominations for Best Actress and Best Cinematography, recognizing its sensory innovation and emotional authenticity.
Critics Reception: Gentle, haunting, and transformative
Variety: “A hypnotic journey into the mind’s eye — where darkness becomes a language of feeling.”
The Hollywood Reporter: “Mercedes Stalenhoef crafts a fragile, luminous study of resilience. Beemsterboer is quietly extraordinary.”
Cineuropa: “A profound sensory experience that replaces sight with soul.”
De Volkskrant: “A moving portrait of blindness as rebirth — intimate, empathetic, and visually breathtaking.”
Summary: Critics praise the film’s poetic realism and emotional restraint. It’s considered one of the most mature and affecting Dutch dramas of recent years.
Reviews: Audiences embrace its quiet strength
IMDb Users: Rated 7.3/10, with viewers praising its emotional honesty and sensory cinematography, though some found its slow pace meditative rather than dramatic.
Letterboxd: Described as “a film that breathes,” applauded for its empathy and visual poetry.
Audience sentiment: Many highlight its message of resilience and peace — calling it “a quiet masterpiece about rediscovering life through loss.”
Summary: Audiences connect with its sincerity and sensory storytelling, finding beauty in its stillness and emotional clarity.
Movie Trend: Cinema of perception and presence
Ik zal zien reflects the ongoing cinematic exploration of embodied experience — films that don’t just tell stories but make viewers feel what the protagonist feels. Following the lineage of Sound of Metal and All the Beauty and the Bloodshed, it uses form to evoke empathy, turning sensory loss into a cinematic awakening.
Social Trend: Representation of disability through authenticity
The film aligns with a larger cultural movement redefining how disability is represented in media. Instead of dramatizing loss, it focuses on adaptation and inner growth, showing how strength lies in acceptance. It echoes the global push toward empathetic, realistic portrayals of differently-abled lives — prioritizing humanity over heroism.
Final Verdict: Meditative, immersive, and profoundly human
Ik zal zien is a stunning exploration of perception, emotion, and rebirth. With Mercedes Stalenhoef’s poetic direction and Aiko Beemsterboer’s luminous performance, it transcends traditional drama to become a sensory and emotional experience.Verdict: A deeply affecting and visually poetic film — one that proves seeing isn’t about sight, but about learning to feel the world all over again.