Synopsis

To celebrate his promotion to senior police officer, Nordin and his girlfriend Luna try to bake ’the perfect cake, for the perfect night’. What starts as a fun and affectionate activity, slowly changes into a toxic cycle of emotional and physical abuse, in which the two struggle with their boundaries and self-control. While Nordin and Luna try to fight this inevitable storm, the situation threatens to spin out of control more than ever. 

Director’s Statement

I met my ex-girlfriend during a blind date event in 2018. We immediately had a strong connection and felt very much attracted to each other. Our love was intense and profound. I thought that I had found ‘the one’. Until my ex, after a fun night out, suddenly kicked me in my stomach.

After this first incident, we were together for six more months. I later realized more clearly that during this time I was being emotionally and physically abused. It was only after I ended up crying on my parents’ sofa that I realized how far I had gotten myself into this impossible situation. 

When I told my family and friends what happened, most of them almost could not believe it. Some of them started laughing awkwardly. I felt deeply ashamed and weak. Why did I stay with her for so long, only to let myself get treated horribly? This question bothered me for a long time and made me question my identity and self-worth.

And so, it came that I started to write: to understand myself and the situation better. At first, I only saw my ex as the perpetrator and myself as the victim in this story.  But during the writing process, I learned that the situation was not as black and white. I learned that my ex-girlfriend also suffered a lot from her depressed feelings. The emotions that she could not control, displayed themselves in a destructive way towards me and herself. And that, because of the complicated nature of the situation, I shifted my own boundaries unnoticed, which allowed her to shift hers too. This way, we kept each other prisoner in a cycle that was only getting worse.

With this observational film, I want to show the complexity of an abusive relationship and the feeling of helplessness that comes along with it. By doing so, I hope for the viewer to reflect on their own experiences and boundaries within their relationships. 

Angelo Raaijmakers

Writer & director of A Perfect Night