''Keep Off'' () is a 2006 Dutch

teen film Teen film is a film genre targeted at teenagers, preteens and/or young adults by the plot being based on their special interests, such as coming of age, attempting to fit in, bullying, peer pressure, first love, teen rebellion, conflict with pa ...

directed by Maria Peters, based on the children's novel '' Afblijven'' by

Carry Slee Carry or carrying may refer to: People *Carry (name) Finance * Carried interest (or carry), the share of profits in an investment fund paid to the fund manager * Carry (investment), a financial term: the carry of an asset is the gain or cost of h ...

. The film, much like the book, explores

drug abuse Substance misuse, also known as drug misuse or, in older vernacular, substance abuse, is the use of a drug in amounts or by methods that are harmful to the individual or others. It is a form of substance-related disorder, differing definitions ...

by adolescents and the negative effects it has on their lives. The film received a

Golden Film The Golden Film () is a film award recognizing domestic box office achievements in the Netherlands. The Golden Film is awarded to films from the Netherlands once they have sold . The award is an initiative by the Netherlands Film Festival and t ...

(100,000 visitors).

Plot

Fourteen-year-old Melissa (Sem Veeger) pretends she's taking

ballet Ballet () is a type of performance dance that originated during the Italian Renaissance in the fifteenth century and later developed into a concert dance form in France and Russia. It has since become a widespread and highly technical form of ...

lessons, to please her strict father, while she is in fact a

hip hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...

dancer. She is given the opportunity to audition for background dancer in a video clip, but grows uncertain of her abilities. A newly met friend, Jim, gives her

XTC XTC were an English rock band formed in Swindon in 1972. Fronted by songwriters Andy Partridge (vocals, guitars) and Colin Moulding (vocals, bass), the band gained popularity during the rise of punk and new wave in the 1970s, later playing ...

, which enhances her performance. She is then selected to be in the music video. Her close friends Jordi and Fleur watch as Melissa becomes dependent on both XTC and Jim, who is now her new boyfriend, but can't convince Melissa she is making a wrong turn. At the music video shoot, Melissa fails to perform as well as she did before due to a lack of XTC and leaves the set. She has a fight with Jim and disappears soon after. As Jordi tries to find Melissa, she calls him and states she will be fine and she'll be at her "house" tonight. As the call was cut off, Jordi grows even more concerned and figures out where Melissa will be as he finds a poster announcing a "

house party A house party is a type of party held at the home of the party's host. Organization A house party might be organized several months or just a few hours in advance. News of a party may be spread by personal invitations, word of mouth, pos ...

" the same night. Hoping to find Melissa, Jordi attends the house party, only to see Melissa being treated by

paramedics A paramedic is a healthcare professional trained in the medical model, whose main role has historically been to respond to emergency calls for medical help outside of a hospital. Paramedics work as part of the emergency medical services (EMS), m ...

and taken to the hospital in critical state. Melissa ends up in a coma while Jordi finds out contaminated XTC pills were what caused her to collapse at the house party. After Melissa wakes up from her coma, Jordi convinces himself something needs to be done and enlists the police in order to arrest Melissa's boyfriend Jim. It is revealed Jim distributed the contaminated pills. Jordi then finds it difficult to become romantically involved with Melissa, but ultimately gives in.

Cast

* Sem Veeger as Melissa *

Matthijs van de Sande Bakhuyzen Matthijs Nicolaas van de Sande Bakhuyzen (born 16 October 1988) is a Dutch movie and television actor and former child actor. Biography Matthijs van de Sande Bakhuyzen was born on 16 October 1988 in Amsterdam, the son of movie director Willem ...

as Jordi *

Melody Klaver Melody Zoë Klaver (born 9 September 1990) is a Dutch actress. Early life and education Klaver was born in Amsterdam, Netherlands and grew up in the suburb town Abcoude. She has two older sisters, presenter/actress Kimberley Klaver and dancer ...

as Debby *

Jim Bakkum Jimmy Johannes Bakkum (born 10 August 1987) is a Dutch singer, actor, stage actor and television personality. Rising to nationwide fame after becoming runner-up in the first season of Dutch singing competition series '' Idols'', he has released ...

as Toine * Juliann Ubbergen as Kevin *

Tessa Schram Tessa Schram (born 18 October 1988) is a Dutch actress and director. She is the daughter of film producer and director Dave Schram and Maria Peters and the sister of actor Quinten Schram. Filmography Films As director * ''Sammie is Looking'' ( ...

as Fleur * Tommie Venneker as Jim *

Gijs Scholten van Aschat Gijs Scholten van Aschat (born 16 September 1959) is a Dutch actor. He has appeared in more than sixty films since 1980. He is the father of Reinout Scholten van Aschat. Selected filmography References External links * Gijs Scholten ...

as father of Melissa * Loes Wouterson as mother of Melissa *

Thijs Römer Thijs Römer (born 26 July 1978) is a Dutch actor. He has appeared in more than twenty films and television shows since 2002. Career Römer began his career in theater, playing his first roles in 1998 in the play ''De Zeven Deugden: Doolhof en ...

as Guido (video clip director) *

Brainpower Brainpower (born Gerrit-Jan Mulder; February 5, 1975) is a Dutch rapper. Born in Belgium, he grew up in the Netherlands. He has released six studio albums since 1990. Early life Gertjan Mulder was born in Antwerp, Belgium. He was raised in A ...

as himself *

Anneke Blok Anneke Blok (born 24 December 1959) is a Dutch actress. She won the 2008 Golden Calf for Best Actress award for her performance as Anne in '' Tiramisu''. Selected filmography References External links * 1959 births Living people ...

as mother of Jordi *

Geert Lageveen Geert is a Dutch given name of Germanic origin, equivalent to the German Gerd and the English Gerry. The name is a condensed form of Gerard, itself a combination of the Germanic words ''ger'' (spear) and ''hard'' (strong or brave) meaning "str ...

as father of Jordi * Plien van Bennekom as Miss Zuurbier (German teacher) * Tjebbo Gerritsma as grandmother of Melissa *

Stefan de Walle Stefan de Walle (born 15 September 1965) is a Dutch actor. Career De Walle is known for his role of ''Kees'' in the spin-off television series of the 1986 film ''Flodder'', which ran from 1993 to 1998. He also played this role in the 1995 fi ...

as policeman * Michiel Romeyn as boss of Jordi *

as bus passenger * Giovanni Kemper as dancer of the danceschool of Melissa

Release

The film was released on DVD on 6 February 2007.

References

External links

Official website
* {{Maria Peters 2006 films 2000s children's films 2000s Dutch-language films Dutch children's films RCV Film Distribution films Films based on children's books Films based on works by Carry Slee Shooting Star Filmcompany films