Longstay

Willem is rushing about with a chainsaw and axe. Nothing strange about that, except that Willem is, as he says himself, a sex murderer. He is sawing wood within the confines of the Forensic Psychiatric Center in the south of the Netherlands, where he has been detained since 1974. Just like the majority of the 40 men in this institution for people whose psychiatric treatment in detention has ended, he has accepted the fact that he will never be released. Fifty-seven-year-old Frank has no particular desire to return to society, saying, "I know I'm dangerous; I don't want any more victims." In Longstay, a euphemism for life imprisonment, Frank, Willem, and several other inmates are filmed as they go about their daily business. In remarkably probing and candid interviews, they tell of their pasts, crimes, dreams, and loves. The men thrive on quiet, routine, work, and brotherhood. Like anywhere else, there are minor, manageable problems, such as when Frank and Dolf, a gay couple who married during their detention, express a need for more privacy. We also see the staff at work, including during a discussion about the possibility of so-called "sexual care." Until that time, it looks like the only female contact the detainees are likely to have is the woman who cuts their toenails. (International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam)