09/07/2025 - The Amsterdam-based director unpicks the subtle yet powerful short film they are presenting as part of EFP’s Future Frames at Karlovy Vary

January focuses on Willem, who is in the aftermath of a break-up. Throughout the titular month, Willem struggles through self-doubt and hurt. But each day, he also gets a little stronger and more assured in a film that is not only an ode to finding one’s self, but also a paean to the struggles of a young generation trying to navigate life.

The subtle yet powerful short is the latest film from Jetske Lieber, a director living and working in Amsterdam who studied at the Netherlands Film Academy. Having already screened at a number of festivals, January is now showing as part of EFP’s Future Frames at the 59th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival.

Cineuropa: What made you create January?
Jetske Lieber: I wanted to give the main stage to a character that doesn’t really know who he is yet. So, the film, for me, started with this idea of someone who is not on top at all, surrounded by a lot of people who pretend to know everything about the world and themselves.

I once found myself in a bubble where everyone was very expressive, smart and progressive. They were on top of everything, while I was very insecure about who my friends were, my knowledge about the world and how I presented myself. All of this was during a break-up with my girlfriend at the time. I started writing down some very specific moments in my life that told me something about my search for who I really was without her.

During the development, I was constantly asked: is it about identity and becoming yourself, or is it about love and breaking up? It’s not that I couldn’t choose; I just didn’t want to choose, because these things go hand in hand. Also, one of our main desires for the film was wanting to tell a story about contemporary life in Amsterdam. I want to look back on this graduation film and say: “Oh yeah, that was how life felt back then.” I wanted the movie to be simple and specific, and to feel like a hug. 

When you approach your material, do you have things that influence you – either in emulating a certain feeling or in trying to avoid clichés?
Love has so many forms and is endlessly interesting. But the whole idea of me making a graduation film about a break-up was never really a thing I wanted to go for. So I avoided basically any clichés that had to do with an ex. No scenes with an ex! No filling up boxes with stuff from an ex and giving it back, no last goodbye, and especially no fighting with an ex. The ambiguity of the break-up is something I am really happy about. We break up for so many reasons, and most of the time it’s not really clear. It’s not about how they broke up; it’s a story about carrying yourself while being heartbroken. The idea of the ex – Elias – being talked about in a lot of scenes but never actually appearing in a scene made me laugh. It’s almost like Willem really is an extra in his own life, and at the end, he needs to step out of the extra’s role and just play the main lead.

Tell us about the casting of Bram Flick in the lead.
Writing our main character was a lot of fun. Willem was written with different people around me in mind, so I had quite a specific idea of what Willem should look like. His physical mannerisms were especially important for me because Willem doesn’t really say much in the movie. Willem is more of a listener, so his eyes and facial expressions were important. It’s the people around him who really do the talking.

We invited a lot of different kinds of actors to try out for the role of Willem. Even though I had something specific in mind, I do like being surprised, and I try to be open-minded while casting. I think Bram Flick was the first or second to come in. I remember my cinematographer saying: “I think we just met Willem!” Bram has a very natural screen presence and is a very technical actor with great timing.

What is next for you?
I have just finished a very short film called Anna’s Freezer. It’s about Anna, who comes home alone after a premiere night. When she discovers that her freezer is completely frozen, a solo spectacle begins in which Anna battles her freezer and tries to escape her lonesome reality. With the team behind January, I’m currently working on another short called A Mother Visits, about a mum who needs to take care of her grown-up daughter, who has just sustained a knee injury. The mother stays with her daughter for two weeks in a student home, where she discovers a much freer and more autonomous life that she herself never had.