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THE WESTEREEN – Director Michiel van Erp (60) and producer Pupkin Film have created a series inspired by the murder of Marianne Vaatstra. The six-part drama ‘One of Us’ will premiere this fall on CANAL+. This is the first Dutch ‘original’ of the streaming service.
In 1999, sixteen-year-old Marianne was found dead in a meadow near Feankleaster, after being raped and murdered. The brutal murder caused shocked reactions in Friesland and the rest of the Netherlands. Thanks to the attention that Peter R. de Vries paid to the case, a large-scale DNA investigation was carried out in 2012. Ultimately, Jasper S. was arrested after a 100 percent DNA match with material found on Marianne’s body.
The series One of Us portrays the thirteen-year search for the perpetrator of the rape and murder of a 16-year-old young woman, who is found exactly between the fictional village of Griesbeek and an AZC. The murder case not only tears apart entire families and a village, but ultimately concerns the entire country and exposes the soul of a new century. Each episode focuses on the story from a different main character.
According to producer Pieter Kuijpers, the story of the series is still relevant, despite the fact that it is inspired by a 25-year-old crime. Michiel van Erp emphasizes the appeal of the story, where the murder was a catalyst for feelings such as suspicion, distrust, opportunism and betrayal among the residents of the village. He compares the events at the time with the current state of the country, where xenophobia, conspiracy thinking and the desire to be one’s own judge are the order of the day.
