Black Book

2006 · 2h25 · Film

Directed by Paul Verhoeven

Starring Carice van Houten, Sebastian Koch, Thom Hoffman, Halina Reijn, Waldemar Kobus, Matthias Schoenaerts, Derek de Lint, Christian Berkel, Dolf de Vries, Peter Blok

Ideal when you feel… Stressed Angry Sad / low

Israel, 1956: Jewish teacher Rachel Stein rather unexpectedly meets an old friend at the kibbutz. It brings back memories of her experiences in the Netherlands during the war, memories of betrayal. In September 1944, Rachel's hiding place is bombed by Allied troops; she makes contact with a resistance member and joins a group of Jews to be smuggled across the Biesbosch to the freed South Netherlands. Only Rachel escapes a massacre by patrol Germans, and is rescued by a resistance group under the leadership of Gerben Kuipers, whose son is captured trying to smuggle weapons. Kuipers asks Rachel to seduce SS-hauptsturmführer Ludwig Müntze, a mission that she will soon learn that the boat attack wasn't a coincidence.

Original title

Zwartboek

Original language

Dutch

Screenplay

Paul Verhoeven, Gerard Soeteman

Music

Anne Dudley

Cinematography

Karl Walter Lindenlaub, Marc Felperlaan

Cast

Halina Reijn, Waldemar Kobus, Matthias Schoenaerts, Derek de Lint, Christian Berkel, Dolf de Vries, Peter Blok, Michiel Huisman, Ronald Armbrust

Updated July 22, 2026

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