André Hazes- She believes in me

André Hazes was one of the most popular interpreters of the Dutch torch song. For more than twentyfive years, he has been singing his hit songs like Een beetje verliefd and Zij gelooft in mij to packed halls. For this documentary, filmmaker John Appel closely followed the Amsterdam singer for a number of months. He attended performances, he took him back to the cramped house in Amsterdam where the singer spent his childhood, and he observed Hazes with his wife and two children in their spacious current house on the water. We also see the artist at work in the studio, and conferring with his agents. ANDRÉ HAZES – ZIJ GELOOFT IN MIJ draws a picture of a man with a hard and often lonely life. Still after all these years, the tension before a show rises considerably. Although even students are singing along his songs verbatim, Hazes is not quickly satisfied and not really self-assured. What should have been a highlight in his career, a performance in the large ‘Plaza the toros’ in the Spanish city of Benidorm, turns into disappointment: only a few hundred visitors pay a visit to the arena. The constant pressure takes its toll. At one time, Hazes’ third marriage is even on the verge of collapse. In circumstances like this, it is clear that a big house is not a guarantee for happiness, neither is a wall covered with golden records. Then the lyrics of Hazes’ songs, often dealing with loneliness and unrequited love, get more substance.