Reedland Review: Slow but Steady
Reedland (Rietland) is the feature debut of Sven Bresser and follows a reed cutter who discovers the dead body of a young woman on his land. Driven by an ambiguous sense of guilt he sets out on a self-appointed investigation to find whoever is responsible. Johan lives a peaceful life, he's a creature of habit and lives by routine. Once the dead body of a woman is found on his land, he is silently thrusted into an whirlwind of suspicion, fear, angst and an unsettling level of unjust guilt that's on the verge of a boiling point.
The film stars Gerrit Knobbe as Johan, who is in fact not an actor by trade but an actual reed cutter. A fact that made his performance that much more impressive. The film also stars Lois Reinders, Susan Beijer and Vincent Linthorst. Reedland has been making its rounds at various film festivals and accumulating a number of accolades while doing so. The film played at the Cannes Film Festival 2025 Critic's Week and is the Official Dutch Entry to the 2026 Academy Awards. The film holds an intriguing premise and with that premise is able to blend the mundane and the intensity of an unsolved murder. The setting of a remote reed farm makes for some beautiful visuals and a noticeably intense wide landscape captured by the films cinematographer Sam Du Pon, which in turn allowed for small moments of eeriness while our mostly silent protagonist gazes on his unsettling abundancy of land.
Knobbe gives an admirable performance with his reserved demeanor and a hidden layer of angst underneath, all of this is even more admirable with the knowledge that Knobbe isn't an actor by trade, but an actual reed cutter. The way his character sits and marinates in the ominous feelings of guilt and suspense that boils as the runtime goes on is nothing short of captivating. It's also worth noting that Loin Reinders, who plays Johans granddaughter delivers a solid performance throughout the film.
The film is also accompanied by a fantastic score, which for the most part is subdued and lends itself to the quiet dread only to reach a startling height in a scene with Johan and his granddaughter at a school play. In a film with few words, Mitchel van Dinthe and,Lyckle de Jong's score is beautiful and haunting. I also found some aspects of Reedland similar to some of the works of David Lynch , specifically Twin Peaks. Maybe it’s the remote location with a sense of dread in the air, maybe it’s the murder in a small community, or maybe it’s palpable suspense in an otherwise mundane setting. In reality, it’s a tense concoction of all three and then some.
The film moves at a noticeably slow pace. While I can appreciate the time spent sitting with our main character and his feelings on the murder, the slow movement of the plot and breadcrumb trail of narrative beats leaves you yearning for so much more in terms of fulfillment. The scenes that dare offer tensity accomplish their goal, delivering tense memorable moments, with its drawback being the vast emptiness between the scenes. By the time the film draws to a close, the ending pales in comparison to the time invested in getting there.
Overall, Reedland is an impressive feature debut from filmmaker Sven Bresser. While it slow paced narrative asks a lot of the viewer and takes more than it gives, I would be remiss to applaud the films technical aspects. The sound design is eerie as all hell, the cinematography basks in the lands beauty despite the hauntingly quiet atmosphere, all while Knobbe brings in a compelling performance. Bresser helms all these spinning gears wonderfully, and while I look forward to his next feature outing, the restraint and silence between the greatness in this film was too much to bear.
