Antonia's Line

R

Released Feb 2, 1995

1h 33m

Comedy

Drama

List

69%

Tomatometer

52 Reviews

91%

Audience Score

5,000+ Ratings

After World War II, Antonia (Willeke van Ammelrooy) and her daughter, Danielle (Els Dottermans), go back to their Dutch hometown, where Antonia's late mother has bestowed a small farm upon her. There, Antonia settles down and joins a tightly-knit but unusual community. Those around her include quirky friend Crooked Finger (Mil Seghers), would-be suitor Bas (Jan Decleir) and, eventually for Antonia, a granddaughter and great-granddaughter who help create a strong family of empowered women.

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Critics Consensus

Magical and morbid, Antonia picturesque landscapes and proficient performances elevate a somewhat pedestrian parable.

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Chris Peachment

Daily Telegraph (UK)

It's a broad historical saga of great warmth, but it would have been more convincing if it didn't have "feminist agenda" stamped all over it.

Nov 28, 2017

Full Review

Carrie Rickey

Philadelphia Inquirer

Antonia is a work of rare lyricism. It glows with the light of a Flemish painting and the spirit of magic realism.

Rated: 3.5/4

Oct 4, 2016

Full Review

Howard Kissel

New York Daily News

Antonia's Line is enjoyable because it is never preachy. It depicts, with a painterly eye, a pagan world that has not changed since Breughel.

Rated: 2.5/4

Oct 4, 2016

Full Review

Marya E. Gates

Cool People Have Feelings, Too. (Substack)

A celebration of life and of women and their strength when they band together.

Feb 12, 2024

Full Review

Judith M. Redding

Curve

A primer in the empowerment of women, not to mention a painterly, epic look at matriarchy.

May 23, 2022

Full Review

Amelie Lasker

FF2 Media

Gorris's work is impressive throughout, both in how she handles tonal shifts and builds a large cast of characters and weaves the story around them.

Feb 25, 2021

Full Review

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Audience Member

This is a beautiful movie of hope, a chosen family, and integrity. I am puzzled by some of the (men's) reviews that characterize the film as feminist. Is having some strong female characters ‘feminist'? Yes, the movie is told from a woman's perspective but it also includes a close relationship between Antonia and Bas. They adopt a line of people, women and men, who are outcasts. This is not a feminist treatise, it is a human one.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/20/23

Full Review

Audience Member

One of my all-time favourite films and one of only three that I have watched several times. A beautiful, uplifting story filled with wonderful characters — especially strong females.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/12/23

Full Review

Audience Member

This movie brings warmth and humour to the joys and hardships of life. It is a soft reminder to shoulder our burdens and seek beauty around us. For those learning Dutch it is also in language that is easy to understand.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/14/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Super delightful, one of the most straightforward feminist films I've ever seen, and simply inherently without even mentioning the word or concept! Was stunning and beautiful, felt like I was watching a novel.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/14/23

Full Review

Audience Member

3 dalga feminizmi yargilamadan gorebildigimiz bi filmdi.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/06/23

Full Review

david l

Antonia's Line succeeds as a forceful, progressive and very interesting feminist film which gives us the female perspective on life so well through many interesting characters and their relationships. But, as is usual for 90s foreign Oscar winners, it's terribly paced, framed badly with too much narration and it has too many characters and stories that most do not get enough proper attention. It's thus just a solid film, but it had the potential to be so much better.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

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Marleen Gorris

Director

Willeke van Ammelrooy

Antonia

Els Dottermans

Danielle

Jan Decleir

Boer Bas

Marina de Graaf

Deedee

Mil Seghers

Crooked Finger

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Synopsis

After World War II, Antonia (Willeke van Ammelrooy) and her daughter, Danielle (Els Dottermans), go back to their Dutch hometown, where Antonia's late mother has bestowed a small farm upon her. There, Antonia settles down and joins a tightly-knit but unusual community. Those around her include quirky friend Crooked Finger (Mil Seghers), would-be suitor Bas (Jan Decleir) and, eventually for Antonia, a granddaughter and great-granddaughter who help create a strong family of empowered women.

Director: Marleen Gorris
Producer: Gerard Cornelisse, Hans de Weers
Screenwriter: Marleen Gorris
Distributor: First Look
Production Co: European Co-production Fund, Prime Time, Eurimages, Bard Entertainments Ltd. [gb]
Rating: R
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Original Language: Dutch
Release Date (Theaters): Feb 2, 1995, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 10, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $45.1K
Runtime: 1h 33m

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