Character

The events take place in the interwar period, a time of economic strain and social stratification in the Netherlands. Debt, work, and ambition shape daily life as traditional hierarchies are challenged. The narrative's timing lets power and law intersect with personal history, turning personal vendettas into public affairs.

In 1930s Rotterdam, a busy port city that blends wealth and hardship, the story unfolds amid offices, courthouses and docks. The urban landscape mirrors the climb and clashes of its characters, from the elite's privilege to the poverty that fuels their ambition. The film uses the city as a pressure cooker where personal scores become public matters.

⚖️ Power

Dreverhaven uses his position to control and intimidate Katadreuffe, illustrating how power can shape a life and pin a person to a rigid social order. The film examines how authority is exercised through debt, law, and status. Katadreuffe’s ascent occurs within this coercive framework, challenging the balance of influence between father and son. The ending twist—wealth left to the son—reframes power as contingent on recognition and legitimacy.

👨‍👦 Fatherhood

The relationship between Dreverhaven and Katadreuffe sits at the story’s core, exploring what counts as fatherly care: protection, control, or mere blood relation. Dreverhaven’s initial refusal to acknowledge his son creates a lifelong hostility and a question of belonging. The revelation of Dreverhaven as the father—and the will, signed as 'Vader'—complicates notions of paternity. The film uses this dynamic to probe forgiveness, duty, and the price of absence.

📚 Education

Katadreuffe learns the law by self-teaching, turning a lack of formal schooling into an asset. His English-language encyclopedia becomes a window to opportunity, showing intellect as a path out of poverty. The contrast between autodidactic learning and conventional education drives his rise within a harsh system. This theme highlights persistence, ingenuity, and the selective nature of merit.

🔎 Justice

The investigation gradually uncovers that Dreverhaven’s death is suicide rather than murder, blurring lines between justice and personal history. The will’s reveal—leaving wealth to Katadreuffe—redefines who truly benefits from law and legacy. The legal process serves as both obstacle and instrument in the son’s ascent. The film uses these twists to question what justice means when personal grievances shape public records.