State of the Art

Character building

by Peter Keough

Character may or may not be fate, but for director Mike van Diem it sure has been fame. It started late in the rambling Oscar broadcast, when the Dutch director's first feature, a brooding Oedipal murder mystery set in Amsterdam in the 1920s, won for Best Foreign Language film. He made an impression on groggy viewers with his exuberant, Cuba Gooding Jr.-like acceptance speech.

"It was the 19th of 24 awards," recalls van Diem, who has been carrying the trophy everywhere since he won it. "So while waiting I decided to write my speech. The first draft was two and a half minutes. They allow you 30 seconds. So I wrote a second draft, and a third. The one I actually delivered was one minute, 36 seconds. In the middle of the speech the TelePrompTer started flashing 'END! END! END!' and some guy waved his arms like he was landing a 747. But I finished and hugged Sharon Stone [the presenter]. She seemed surprised and smelled very nice.

"Up to that point, I was watching the other people accept their awards and thought, come on, aren't we overreacting? But no, once your name is called, the feeling is pure joy."

The aftermath is pretty interesting too. Upon his return to the Netherlands, van Diem was greeted "like a war hero." Offers poured in: presiding over the opening of a bicycle store. Presenting awards at a Dutch music contest.

He declined. "I'm more of a behind-the-camera person," he explains, and though Dutch filmmaking has gotten a kick in the pants since taking home an Oscar this year and two years ago with Marleen Gorris's Antonia's Line, opportunities are still limited. "It's impossible to have a career in the Dutch film industry," he laments. "There is no Dutch film industry."

And so, like his countryman Paul Verhoeven, on to Hollywood. In a sense, he's mirroring the career of his hero in Character, who struggles from Dickensian origins to enter a plush law firm where "the whole world opens up" for him. "I certainly can identify with him," says van Diem, who was burned a few years back in La-La Land when a script he wrote was lost in turn-around. "Everything you heard about winning an Oscar is true. The morning after I won, my agency received 200 offers between 9 and 11."

Van Diem, who is nearing 40, feels ambivalent about the overwhelming response. "I couldn't sleep for several hours last night," he confesses. "I realize that there are a whole lot of people who are being paid very well to pursue me. They can be very convincing. Rationally, though, I realize that it's not necessary to jump right into all the hoopla.

"But Hollywood is tempting in this way: a lot of films get made, but not many these days get distributed. If you're connected with a studio, at least you know your film will be seen. But I'm not suggesting that there are not pitfalls ahead. I fell on my face once before, it could happen again."

Of course, that was before he hugged Sharon Stone in front of a billion or so people. And she has been reading a screenplay for a sequel to a film directed by Verhoeven that was a big hit. Basic Instinct II, anyone?

Character opens at the Kendall Square this Friday, April 17.