The Bastard

Poignant, layered story about Ethiopian native Daniël Hoek and his Dutch father Joop Hoek, who left him when he was a child. Both are convinced that their lives would have been quite different if their fathers had not abandoned them.

As a child, Ethiopian Daniël Hoek was abandoned by his Dutch father. Because of his mixed background, he was rebuffed, ended up living on the street and got involved in crime. For years he struggled with his identity, the absence of his father and the question how different his life would have been if his father had not left. Interestingly, Joop Hoek had a similar experience with his father who refused to legally recognize him as his son, much to Joop’s dismay.

The Bastard intertwines the stories of the adult child and the elderly father. Poignant stories of fate and DNA, and of how the lack of a father figure has affected their lives.