'Nu verandert er langzaam iets'

Self-development, inner growth and personal effectiveness: countless courses, training programmes and therapies are on offer in the Netherlands for participants to work on precisely these aspects — today so many people are on a quest for meaning. But why? Someone in this documentary suggests that it has to do with the loss of faith: "Every week ten churches close their doors."

Director Menna Laura Meijer, who previously made We Margiela, portrays this world: therapy sessions with animals, a "dealing with tension and aggression" training at a local law enforcement department, a vlogger attempting to calm her stressed-out followers with soft, relaxing sounds. She maintains a certain distance throughout; the camera looks at the subjects from the sidelines, there are no interviews, there is no voice-over, nothing is explained, nothing is judged. The fixed-form approach leaves it up to viewers to determine what this profusion of courses and training programmes means. Her documentary won the Dutch Documentary Award at this year's IDFA.