Synopsis
The Waddenzee, the Wetland Sea, is a unique natural region, a coastal area of the Netherlands, Germany and Denmark which, depending on the tides, is sometimes sea, sometimes land. Johan van der Keuken films this “flat jungle”, its fauna, flora and inhabitants whose lives have been disrupted by the economic, technical and industrial developments of the region.
A word from Tënk
Flat Jungle is probably not the first film that comes to mind when one thinks of the brilliant and colossal cinematography of Johan van der Keuken. However, by exploring an ecological subject that questions the very idea of growth - with a fertile nuance - this documentary made in 1978 is for me a must-see. Through its arrangement of shots supported by a poetic and political reflection, its narrative research as limpid as it is complex, and its precise framing, this artistic portrait of the ecosystem of the Wadden Sea and its shores, whose fragile balance was then upset by industrialization, shows an admirable cinematographic and social commitment.
Hubert Sabino-Brunette
Teacher and programmer
