''Hush Hush Baby'' () is a 2004

Dutch Dutch or Nederlands commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands ** Dutch people as an ethnic group () ** Dutch nationality law, history and regulations of Dutch citizenship () ** Dutch language () * In specific terms, i ...

comedy film The comedy film is a film genre that emphasizes humor. These films are designed to amuse audiences and make them laugh. Films in this genre typically have a happy ending, with dark comedy being an exception to this rule. Comedy is one of the o ...

written and directed by Albert ter Heerdt. The film follows a Moroccan family that tries to find their way in Dutch society.

Plot

Abdullah 'Ap' Bentarek is a young Moroccan man, about 20 years old. He is happy that, unlike his Uncle Yusuf who stayed in the ancestral Moroccan mountain village, his own father, Ali, moved to the

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

. His mother knows only one sentence in Dutch, which she utters every time, and in a strong Moroccan accent: "Is goed" ("It's OK"). His father doesn't speak or understand Dutch at all. He has, however, a tough choice to make. Either he can choose a modern

lifestyle, playing some pool with his lousy friends and lead a life like his sister Leila does--Leila refuses to be married off and takes off her

hijab Hijab (, ) refers to head coverings worn by Women in Islam, Muslim women. Similar to the mitpaḥat/tichel or Snood (headgear), snood worn by religious married Jewish women, certain Christian head covering, headcoverings worn by some Christian w ...

often when attending school--or he can do what his father wants him to do: 'become serious', find a job and choose a bride in Morocco. His older brother Sam is a policeman and is very well integrated into Dutch society. He gets Ap an office job, at a bank he and his friends have dreamt of robbing, but Ap lasts only a day there. He then chooses to join his friends in the attempt to break into the bank. The attempt, however, fails miserably. Meanwhile, his little brother Driss

blackmail Blackmail is a criminal act of coercion using a threat. As a criminal offense, blackmail is defined in various ways in common law jurisdictions. In the United States, blackmail is generally defined as a crime of information, involving a thr ...

s their sister Leila and other

Muslim Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...

girls at his school, by taking pictures of them when they have taken off their hijab in school. His grades are low, but his parents don't know of that. When his father has to come over to discuss his grades, Driss accompanies him as his interpreter. Everything the teacher tells about his grades and his behaviour is not translated by him: instead, he tells his father his teacher thinks he is a brilliant student. The scheme fails when the conversation is overheard by a Moroccan cleaner who intervenes. When Ap is heading for trouble, he decides to follow his father's advice and become 'serious'. He sets off for Morocco to find a bride, but if that is the right choice for him is uncertain.

Cast

Mimoun Oaïssa Mimoun Oaïssa (born 11 March 1975) is a Moroccan-Dutch actor and screenwriter. Education and career He was born in Beni Said, Nador Province, Morocco and graduated from Amsterdam Theatre School in 1999 and followed acting lessons abroad. He ...

as Ap * Salah Eddine Benmoussa as Ali * Zohra 'Flifla' Slimani as Khadija * Najib Amhali as Sam * Iliass Ojja as Driss * Tanja Jess as Maja *

Frank Lammers Frank Lammers (born 10 April 1972) is a Dutch television and film actor. In 2006, he won a "Best Actor" Golden Calf (award), Golden Calf for his work in ''Nachtrit''. Winner of the National News Quiz 2009 in the Netherlands. Notable for his role ...

as Chris * Mimoun Ouled Radi as Rachid *

Mohammed Chaara Mohammed Chaara (born 16 August 1980 in Amsterdam, The Netherlands) is a Moroccans in the Netherlands, Moroccan-Dutch television and film actor. Chaara started his career in soap opera Goudkust as "Samir" and is best known for his appearances in f ...

as Mussi * Leo Alkemade as Robbie *

Winston Gerschtanowitz Winston Ronald Gerschtanowitz (born 2 October 1976, in Amsterdam, Netherlands) is a Dutch presenter and actor. Education Gerschtanowitz completed a HAVO education at the Keizer Karel College in Amstelveen. Career Gerschtanowitz' first beca ...

as Daan *

Tara Elders Tara Johanna Elders (; born 17 January 1980) is a retired Dutch actress. She has been in Dutch films and TV series. She also was in the American film ''Interview'' (2007). Early life and education Tara Johanna Elders was born on 17 January 19 ...

as Britt *

Bridget Maasland Bridget Maasland (born 9 November 1974) is a Dutch VJ, television presenter and producer. Career She worked as a model and appeared on the catwalk in fashionshows for children. Her debut on television was a commercial for fruit as a healthy a ...

as Carlie

Production

Since January 2006, Dutch broadcasting organisation VARA broadcasts ''Shouf Shouf! de serie''. In this series, most of the main cast is the same as in the film. The series is directed by Tim Oliehoek.

Reception

The movie became one of the most successful Dutch comedy productions ever. Reactions from the Moroccan community were mixed: on one side, Moroccan youths claimed the movie, comparing themselves to the main characters; on the other side, the movie was criticized for being stereotypical and giving an overall negative impression of Moroccan immigrant families.

References

* *

External links

* {{IMDb title, 0341578, title=Hush Hush Baby 2004 films 2000s Dutch-language films Films set in the Netherlands 2004 comedy films Dutch comedy films Universal Pictures films