There is this misconception that a documentary (or docuseries) based on a true story is supposed to just convey information, while a feature film (or a TV series) based on a true story is supposed to not just convey information but also move us emotionally. But if you have watched enough documentaries, docuseries, feature films, and shows, you know that it’s not as simple as that. Facts and interviews can be presented in a way that compels you to think about the subject in a certain manner even though you don’t know if you are getting the full picture. Meanwhile, fictionalized recreations can focus solely on data and statistics, without having the need to dabble in melodrama, and still be effective. That said, regardless of the genre one chooses to tell a true story, the thing that matters the most is the intent behind it. What is the storyteller trying to say through a particular real-life incident? If that’s unclear, then the whole exercise seems pointless. On that note, let’s talk about iHostage.
Bobby Boermans’ iHostage, written by Boermans and Simon de Waal, is based on the real-life incident that happened at an Apple store in Leidseplein on February 22, 2022. The fictionalized recreation of the event unfolds through the eyes of a Bulgarian national, Ilian, as he misplaces his AirPods on the train and hence has to go to the shop to buy a new pair. Right when he is about to exit the premises, he and all the people inside the building find themselves face-to-face with an armed assailant, Ammar. While he prepares himself to take control of the ground floor of the store, many manage to run outside, some hide on the first floor, and Mingus, Soof, Bente, and Lucas take refuge in the supply closet. However, Ilian freezes up and ends up becoming Ammar’s human shield. The authorities are alerted about this situation, and Kees takes on the task of handling things from the control room. Lynn is assigned as the primary negotiator. And Winston leads a group of tactical officers to take care of anything that happens on the ground. Spoiler alert: the brief standoff ends with no civilian casualties and the death of Ammar.
The biggest issue I have with the writing in iHostage is that Boermans and de Waal are not even remotely interested in the exploration of the characters in their movie. They offer the most basic information about the subjects and expect viewers to stay invested. Ammar and Ilian, despite being the centerpieces of this whole incident, begin as blank slates and end the ordeal as blank slates. The information that we do get is so toothless that it seems futile to spend so much time and so many words on it. Ammar just keeps repeating that the system has wronged him, and the people talking to him keep saying that they understand that the system has wronged him, and it goes on and on until the end. Now, even if that’s exactly what happened in real life, what are Boermans and de Waal achieving by presenting that cyclical exchange in such a dull fashion? What’s the subtext? Is it supposed to be ironic? Is it supposed to be tragic? Or are the writers so uninventive that they can only present the facts that are readily available on the internet as it is? If so, what’s the point of making this whole movie?
Boermans uses everything from CCTV camera footage to body cams to make iHostage feel as realistic as possible. The same can be said about the costume design, art direction (there’s an obnoxious AI-generated poster in the background of one of the shots in the last act), production design, editing, color grading, sound design, score, and the overall tone of the film. But in this pursuit of verisimilitude, Boermans forgets to inject the narrative with the one thing that’s popularly synonymous with hostage thrillers: tension. From start to finish, there’s not a single scene where the director is able to make you scared of the armed assailant or anxious about the fate of the hostages. I mean, there’s a moment where it seems like one of the characters is going into cardiac arrest. However, it’s shot, edited, and directed in such a vapid fashion that that issue doesn’t feel pivotal at all. Something as heightened and “unrealistic” as the medium of animation has perfected the art of panic attacks, while the live-action medium is failing to match those standards. What are we even doing here, guys? Do filmmakers need to be sent back to the drawing board to get the basics of visual storytelling right now?
The performances from the cast of iHostage are just fine. Soufiane Moussouli makes a grand entrance, but with each passing second, he becomes more and more forgettable. Admir Sehovic is largely one-note, except for the final moments where he gets to flex some of his acting muscles before Netflix abruptly cuts to the credits. Emmanuel Ohene Boafo, Fockeline Ouwerkerk, Roosmarijn Van Der Hoek, and Robin Boissevain could’ve been used to create some scintillating drama, but their talent is absolutely squandered for reasons that are only known to Boermans and de Waal. Marcel Hensema’s angry rant at the influencer who has risked the lives of the hostages who are hiding from Ammar on the first floor is pretty much the highlight of the whole film. Speaking of all those supporting actors cast as the hostages on the first floor, why weren’t they given any screen time? It’s not like Boermans was doing anything outstanding with the handful of actors on the ground floor. So, why not showcase what the folks upstairs were going through? And while Hensema, Louis Talpe, Loes Haverkort, Eric Corton, Matteo van der Grijn, Ahlaam Teghadouini, Thijs Boermans, and all those in the supporting cast playing the members of law enforcement are great actors, they hardly have any personality or anything remotely relatable for the audience to latch on to. They are just there to show how efficient the Dutch police are, and if that’s something that tickles your fancy, well, good for you.
While doing some cursory research for iHostage on YouTube, I kept coming across these 30-second-long videos of the incident. I thought that maybe the reason why this movie has been made is because there’s not a lot of information on this whole incident. And maybe the makers of the film have done some extensive research to give us a never-before-seen look into the events that unfolded in February 2022. After reaching the halfway mark of the movie, the realization dawned on me that there’s actually not enough substance in this particular real-life incident to justify a feature-length recreation; those 30-second videos are more than enough. That again begs the question: what’s the point of making this film? Well, if you know, please let me know through the comments section below. Also, if you are interested in watching some hostage thrillers that I liked, feel free to check out Yannick, Dog Day Afternoon, Breaking, Captain Phillips, Die Hard, Prime Time, and the criminally underrated Clark, starring Bill Skarsgard. I am not sure if Speed, Non-Stop, Kaithi, Phone Booth, and The Taking of Pelham 123 (the Tony Scott one) count as hostage thrillers or not; if they do, give them a try as well.
