SLEEPING ROUGH (TUSSENLAND) European Showcase

One of the winners of the 2002 Rotterdam Film Festival, filmmaker Eugenie Jansen’s SLEEPING ROUGH is a rich story that cuts to the heart of friendship between two disparate individuals.

Jakob, an 80-year-old moody widower and veteran of the Dutch East Indies war, is estranged from his only daughter Majok, a young Sudanese illegal immigrant, is homesick for his birthplace and the people he was forced to leave behind. Both burdened by their pasts, Jakob and Majok ar drawn to each other for understanding and connection.

Jansen’s documentary background drives SLEEPING ROUGH’s naturalistic tone. With the lead actor’s charisma and Jansen’s steady, solid rhythm, the film punctures the surface of this unusual friendship within the context of the larger community.