Gaze into the future: Hugo Drechsler

Hugo Drechsler’s graduation film Paul en Paul came about because of a photo of two bare bellies. In the documentary, Paultje (61) who is in prison, finds out he hasn’t got long to live. He returns to his former home in the north of Amsterdam with his routine-reliant brother Paul (79). Their difficult relationship is rooted in their dark family history. A follow-up is currently being made. “Sjoerd, the editor-in-chief at Dutch broadcaster BNNVARA, attended the final edit, immediately announced he wanted to see more and asked for ideas for a longer version. This is about the transience of two men. First, it was Paultje who was ill, his kidneys were failing. Now Paul is ill too; he had cancer, but now it’s spread. He is out of treatment options now.”

Basically, Hugo is filming two dying humans. That sounds intense. “I met Paul and Paul in 2021 and since then an unexpected friendship has blossomed. Paultje and I WhatsApp daily. In the beginning, I tried to convince myself they were just characters in a film and that it wouldn’t affect me much, but when Paultje shuffles off this mortal coil, I will be very sad. I sometimes wonder how Paul will cope when Paultje isn’t around any more. Have they talked about it? At the same time, it’s all really interesting dramatically for the film. I want the best for them, but keep filming it all regardless.”

It would be an insurmountable challenge for many people to just start talking to two guys in a front garden in the north of Amsterdam. “I felt I’d be able to have good conversations with Paul and Paul. As far as I can remember, they also greeted me, saying something like ‘good day’. Before you know it, you're having a chat, you take a photo together and then bam! But that also creeps me out. For me, filmmaking is a tool for getting a foot in the door. I am so exceedingly curious!” Ridicule might seem a risk when filming a documentary about a duo like this. “The main thing is to be genuinely interested in the two men. During pre-production it took a long time to conceptualise how to ethically deal with them. They are crude, steal bikes and drink beer in the front yard. This stands in sharp contrast to the intense storylines. It has to stay funny though, that’s how my fascination started. They don’t view themselves as victims, so it would be wrong to portray them as such.”

At the Nederlandse Filmacademie there was doubt among Hugo’s lecturers who were afraid the two men would be depicted as freaks. “You have to be deadly serious about your subjects. Paul and Paul were asked what they thought during editing.” Dramatists Nadine Jansen and Lemuël de Graav constitute Hugo’s external conscience. “They are really ethical and have a completely different take on things than I do. They keep things in check.”

Mooie Nel’s next production centres on Richard Craane, the working-class vocalist who played a minor supporting role at Paul’s birthday. The production company, started by Hugo with his fellow students Joey Jansen and Thijmen Knook, now also includes Floor de Wolf. “I am trying to film a portrait of him that makes him more of a man. We are currently researching that. It will probably be about ambition, but also about mother-son relationships. I will really go in search of the deeper underlying universality so that it doesn’t end up just being a film about a bar singer.”

Paul en Paul also led to a documentary series about ex-prisoners reintegrating into society. “I have doubts about our legal system. If someone has sat out their prison sentence you’d think they’d be able to start again with a clean slate. In reality, your family has often rejected you during detention, you can’t find a job because no one wants a murderer in the office. No one wants to live next to a paedophile. The idea is to follow the re-integration process for a year.”

Calling a production company Mooie Nel demands some explanation (incidentally the author’s cat shares the same name). “Don’t worry, we didn’t name ourselves after the beer. More likely after the lake. But I’m not sure. We were looking for a name that encapsulated our films. A bit simple, ordinary. And I always thought Nel was a nice-sounding name. Everyone thought it sounded good when I proposed it. However, we never for a moment thought about how this would make it hard to find on Google because of the beer with the same name, ha ha.”

The first idea to found a production company developed after the broadcaster BNNVARA’s request to submit more ideas. “Normally you do so with a production company, but Joey and Thijmen wanted to get into the business themselves. So we thought: lets just be our own producer. I also enjoy entrepreneurship, but I am no good with numbers. I prefer the creative aspect. The four of us bring everything together. The other fun thing is that, as a production company, we can collaborate with other filmmakers. Then I can subject them to my creative vision.”

Not being able to do things for free took some getting used to. “At the Filmacademie basically everything was free. An editor, equipment. Now everything has a price tag, but so far we have done pretty well, we can live off our films.” However, the cash flow isn’t consistent. “So far, we mainly have experience with broadcasters and what we’ve noticed is that progress is glacial. Then you have to write again to proceed to the next round, then you have to do more research, then you get some cash. It sounds like champagne problems, but it’s starting to be a drag. I do try to keep on writing whilst we wait for a request. In a year’s time, the projects will all be in different phases and that definitely relieves the boredom. I sometimes fantasise about escaping the cinematic bubble for example, by working at some coffee place one day a week.”

It was Frans Bromet’s series Buren that inspired Hugo to start making his own films. “That man walked into people’s homes with his camera, and they immediately took him seriously. I thought it was so interesting that he could do what he wanted. The funny thing is he doesn’t really interview people, he basically just repeats what they say. They feel heard and just keep talking!” Visually Hugo does have a different approach than Bromet. “He once gave me feedback after showing him a few things. He thought it was all far too aestheticized and wondered why everything had to look like a Hollywood production. I then learned to keep things small. I once wanted to film all manner of metaphorical layers, set fire to Cantas [mobility vehicles], but nowadays I just think that would be distracting.”

By now readers should have surmised that Hugo has a soft spot for working-class culture. “I don’t really understand where the fascination comes from. People often despise others and I couldn’t disagree more. What I attempt to do is create a platform for people who normally don’t have one. I also sometimes make assumptions when I see someone out in the street. I might think, they vote for such-and-such party or that I know what their living room looks like. But, if you then end up in conversation with one of these people, you find out things are pretty different. I sometimes wonder whether people even understand what they are saying or opining. In north Amsterdam someone once threw a pig’s head through the window of a Moroccan family who were new to the neighbourhood. I thought to myself: what the fuck, that’s taking things way too far. But I also think: I have to film that. Documentaries help viewers experience things they would otherwise never encounter. What I find troubling is that Paul and Paul are basically racists, who I have given a platform. But I also think they deserve to be heard. Perhaps this will help people come together, maybe there is something beautiful to be found in one another.”

If it’s up to Hugo, the future will bring a feature film. But the endless stream of videos dumped onto the internet also provides opportunities. “Maybe, in a couple of years’ time, these can be turned into a wonderful archival film.” His advice to the next generations? Stay true to yourself. “Think of something you’ve always wanted to know and go ahead and research it. People always told me that you first have to come up with what your film is about, which themes it should encompass, but all that just hampers me. I have to be triggered by something I see. Then I go in search of similarities between the other and myself. And, keep asking yourself whether you know something for certain or whether it’s an assumption. Astrid Bussink gave me that tip and without it I never would have uncovered the SS and incest stories in Paul en Paul.”