Sleepy Oldenzaal anno 1961 is rocked by the arrival of a large group of Italian migrant workers, who provide the rapidly growing textile industry with extra hands. The Italians work hard and steal the hearts of the girls of Twente.

Meanwhile, the young laborer Johanna is looking for freedom and trying to move up the ranks against social conventions. The growing tensions between the people of Twente and the newcomers eventually lead to the historic "Spaghetti Riots. Together with her new lover Francesco, Johanna finds herself in the eye of the storm.

Tegendraads is a new Dutch film directed by Ben Sombogaart, known for previous successes such as De Tweeling and Knielen op een Bed Violen.

Reviews

'Lovingly crafted drama.' ★★★★ Allegiance

'Strong historical regional drama.' ★★★★ NRC