Mike Says Goodbye! (De Groeten van Mike!)
Hilal - ages 13+ - Ajyal Youth Film Festival 2013
Maria Peters / Feature Narrative / Netherlands, The / 2012 / 93 min / Colour / DCP / In Dutch / Arabic, English subtitles / Gulf Premiere
Rated: Parental guidance is advised for viewers under the age of 13. Individuals under the age of 13 are not admitted into cinemas unless accompanied by an individual aged 18 or older.
Synopsis
In Competition
Winner of several awards at the Galicja International Children’s Film Festival and the Giffoni Film Festival, and blessed with a commanding performance by Maas Bronkhuyzen as the resourceful title character, ‘Mike Says Goodbye!’ is a modern-day fairytale that skillfully balances comedy and drama, displaying a light, ultimately uplifting tone in spite of its serious topic.
Mike, a high-spirited 10-year-old, has been in hospital with leukemia for months. Now, he’s responding well to his new therapy and can finally go home. He is brimming with joy at the idea of returning to a normal life, but when his mother doesn’t show up to collect him, things get complicated. It turns out this isn’t the first time Mum has behaved irresponsibly, and now it looks like a devastated Mike is going to be sent off to a foster home.
Mike’s mother eventually starts to get her life back on track, but time is running out. With help from his roommate Vincent, Mike comes up with some unconventional strategies to foil the plans of the heartless childcare inspector (who resembles a real-life Cruella de Vil) to send him to live with another family. As Christmas approaches, will Mike be able to celebrate at home with his mum?
About the Director
Maria Peters is a graduate of the Dutch Film Academy. In 1987, she, Dave Schram and Hans Pos started the Shooting Star Filmcompany; the company’s 1993 co-production ‘Daens’, directed by Stijn Coninx, was nominated for the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film. Peters received a Crystal Bear for ‘The Purse Snatcher’ (1995); her ‘Little Crumb’ (1999) had an all-time box-office record in the Netherlands and ‘Sonny Boy’ (2012) was selected as the Dutch entry for the Academy Awards.
Credits
- Director
- Maria Peters
- Screenwriter
- Mirjam Oomkes, Willemine van der Wiel
- Producer
- Dave Schram, Maria Peters, Hans Pos, Danielle Guirguis
- Editor
- Robin de Jong
- Music
- Herman Witkam
- Cinematographer
- Erwin Steen
- Sales Company
- Mountain Road Entertainment Group
- Production Company
- Shooting Star Film Company
- Cast
- Maas Bronkhuyzen, Faas Wijn, Bracha van Doesburgh, Leona Philippo, Carine Crutzen, Vincent Croiset