Everything about this Dutch documentary screams cute, from the title to the subject matter. The Fokkens are identical twins Martine and Louise, age 69, veteran prostitutes in Amsterdam’s notorious red-light district — and yes, that’s their real last name.
Louise’s arthritis has prompted her to retire, but Martine is still at it. In their leisure hours they meander around and reminisce about matters such as how much trade they got from preachers and priests. (One remarks, “Mind you, we got some rabbis, too,” as though loathe to stereotype.)
Endearing as the women are, the movie is more serious than it first appears. The way the sisters got into the business isn’t pretty; neither is the effect Louise’s calling had on her three children.
There are amusing shots of Martine in full dominatrix regalia; at one point she’s got a banana stuck in the stiletto heel displayed in her window, as an added bit of subtlety, one supposes. But those are balanced by explicit scenes of Martine performing with customers in a manner that can only be called grimly efficient.
It’s an uneasy tonal mix that wants to have it both ways — this is a difficult way to pay the rent, but look at how charming the Fokkens are. The consistent thread is the sisters’ bond. Year by year, they’ve shared every part of their lives, and now the Fokkens sashay into the future, sharing memories and viewpoints as well as their neon-bright identical outfits.
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