The Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, France, Sweden, UK, Hungary

Synopsis

A triumphant epic of survival set in the searing wilds of the Badlands, the menacing inferno of the old American West.
A tale of powerful womanhood and resistance against the unforgiving cruelty of a hell on earth.
Our heroine is Liz, carved from the beautiful wilderness, full of heart and grit, hunted by a vengeful Preacher – a diabolical zealot and her twisted nemesis. But Liz is a genuine survivor; she’s no victim – a woman of fearsome strength who responds with astonishing bravery to claim the better life she and her daughter deserve.
Fear not. Retribution is coming.

Director's Statement

Making Brimstone was a bumpy road, but the gratification was huge. I always knew that the story was a dangerous cocktail and that the movie would be controversial, but I never anticipated the reception would be so different in Europe as opposed to the United States. Western or not, I guess the movie is even more European than I thought it was.
Brimstone deals with religiously motivated sexual and physical violence. It’s about the place women had in the world and actually still have in large parts of it.
I tried to make Brimstone as exciting and gripping as possible; to put a new spin on the western genre, but if your concept of cinema is that you must never be uncomfortable watching a scene, or that there is a limit to how much a movie is allowed to get under your skin: don’t watch it. Brimstone is an emotional experience first.

Director's Biography

Martin Koolhoven graduated from the Amsterdam Film Academy as a writer/director. He has won many national and international awards. His biggest success was his previous film, OORLOGSWINTER (Winter in Wartime). It was a phenomenal box office hit in Holland and was sold to many countries. It made the shortlist of 9 movies at the Oscars (Best Foreign Language Film) and was successfully released by Sony Classics in the USA in 2011. Despite Hollywood calling, Koolhoven decided to form N279 Entertainment together with his producer Els Vandevorst. BRIMSTONE is his first international film.

Filmography:

2016 BRIMSTONE
2008 WINTER IN WARTIME (OORLOGSWINTER)
2006 HAPPY FAMILY ('N BEETJE VERLIEFD)
2005 BONKERS (KNETTER)
2005 SCHNITZEL PARADISE (HET SCHNITZELPARADIJS)
2004 SOUTH (HET ZUIDEN)
2001 THE CAVE (DE GROT)
2001 AMNESIA
1999 SUZY Q
1997 DARK LIGHT (DUISTER LICHT)
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Cast & Crew

Directed by: Martin Koolhoven

Written by: Martin Koolhoven

Produced by: Els Vandevorst, Uwe Schott

Cinematography: Rogier Stoffers

Editing: Job ter Burg

Production Design: Floris Vos

Costume Design: Ellen Lens

Make-Up & Hair: Leendert van Nimwegen

Original Score: Tom Holkenborg

Sound Design: Herman Pieëte

Cast: Dakota Fanning (Liz), Guy Pearce (The Reverend), Emilia Jones (Joanna), Carice Van Houten (Anna), Kit Harington (Samuel), Paul Anderson (Frank), William Houston (Eli), Carla Juri (Elizabeth)

Nominations and Awards

  • European Make-Up & Hair Artist 2017
  • Feature Film Selection 2017