Nightwatching

Why did Rembrandt van Rijn end up in a downward spiral after completing “The Night Watch”? Grief undoubtedly played a role: in the period that he was working on the painting, he lost three children and his wife Saskia. But he also lived beyond his means and threw himself into doomed relationships.

In 2006, for the 400th anniversary of Rembrandt’s birth, Peter Greenaway took the process of creation of Rembrandts most famous painting as the starting point for a rich reflection on art, romance and deceit that attempts to answer crucial questions about the painting. What is that little girl doing among all those men? Who is firing a shot and why? The mysteries have all the makings of a true conspiracy theory.

Starring Martin Freeman as the greedy, intrepid painter, Nightwatching is visually spectacular and an entertaining whodunit. The film won two Golden Calves, for the screenplay and production design.