The number of children that weigh over a hundred kilograms has grown explosively in the Netherlands in the past ten years. No less than one in eight children between 5 and 16 struggle with being overweight or even with (morbid) obesity. Dylan (15) and Frederieke (15) are severely overweight as well. They have been heavy since they were very young and often feel ugly and inferior. “Fat people should eat less and exercise more, “ they are often told. But for young people such as Dylan and Frederieke that is easier said than done. Like many children who are overweight, they have a lot on their mind: they are ostracized at school, for instance, and even at home things don’t always run smoothly. “Eating is actually a drug,” Frederieke says. Like Dylan, she has few social contacts.
When Frederieke and Dylan attend a camp for overweight children, they slowly become less isolated. Thanks to the support of their fellow sufferers, they gain back their self-confidence bit by bit. As the week at camp progresses, they dare to develop in a way appropriate to their age: they form friendships and fall in love. This intimate portrait shows that eating is not the cause of being overweight, but a symptom of a much more complex problem.
Script and director Maartje Bakers
photography Aage Hollander
sound Bram Meindersma
edited by Denise Janzée
original music Hans Helewaut
sound design Jillis Molenaar
soundmix Jillis Molenaar and Marc Lizier
line producer Zeppers Film Willemijn Cerutti
In co-production with NTR.
With support from Media Fund.