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Robert Vuijsje, a Dutch journalist and writer, published his first novel Alleen maar nette mensen, or Only Decent People in 2008. The gist of Alleen maar nette mensen is that a young white man from the upper class of Dutch society becomes infatuated with the prototypical model of black beauty–dark skin, voluptuous lips, and a protuberant backside–and goes in search of a black woman who has such a physical form. As one can tell from a basic description of the novel, there is plenty of room for things to go wrong. Afro-Europe reviewed the book:

However, this book is not only a caricature of blacks. I would say it entails a raw critique of Dutch society as a whole. Vuijsje is hard on Jews, Muslims, white Dutch people, Latino’s, blacks, … you name it and they are stereotyped in this book. I sense that Vuijsje got the hardest on blacks (but that’s certainly because I am black, while Vuijsje himself is convinced he was the hardest with the Jewish elite), and in particular on black women. Well, I guess that’s because they are the easiest and most vulnerable target. This doesn’t excuse the author, on the contrary it shows how lazy and safe he plays his game. Doing the same with Muslims could have brought him a fatwa. He is a Jew himself, he can be hard on Jews. And the Dutch/Whites, well, whatever, they have the power, so criticizing them is harmless. The book is well written though and I invite everyone to read it, not as an assault against black people, but as a critical description of multicultural Holland (where for decades everybody thought being in the most tolerant country in the world, nobody dared to say what they thought about other communities and today racism bursts out like a neglected infection full of puss – well it’s not just a Dutch thing though, I see the same happening in Belgium, France, Germany and the UK).

Despite much criticism and disagreement from the black Dutch community, the book went on to win two prestigious awards, the Golden Owl (2009) and the Inktaap (2010). When a book is successful a movie production deal is normally not too far behind; in October 2012, the Dutch film “Only Neat People,” based on the book and featuring actress Imanuelle Grives (Dutch, of Surinamese descent) playing the lead black woman character, and Geza Weisz playing the Jewish man will be released. Shadow and Act has a synopsis of the film:

ONLY DECENT PEOPLE is a Dutch comedy based on the controversial bestseller by Robert Vuijsje. Starring Geza Weisz, Imanuelle Grives, Annet Malherbe & Jeroen Krabbe. David Samuels is from an intellectual Jewish family from the posh Amsterdam Old South, where he is often mistaken as Moroccan because of his dark hair. David is a remarkable man on a mission: to find a ghetto fabulous queen with great tits and thick buttocks. His parents and friends declare him mad, but David continues unabated. His search leads him to the Bijlmer, where, after some wild adventures he is left disappointed. Will David ever find his ideal woman – a large, dark sex goddess with booty and brains?

A still from the movie:

Watch the official trailer for “Only Decent People” below.

The film industry–not just the one in America, but all over the Western world–seems to possess an almost lurid fascination with a common movie plot type: a black person from the lower class who exhibits all of the worst stereotypes about black people comes into the life of a solidly middle- or upper-class white person, all hell breaks lose, and finally they come to develop an affectionate relationship with one another because each one’s eyes have been opened by the encounter with the “other.” Colloquially, this plot is referred to as Stereotype Shakeup. For examples, see American actress Halle Berry in B.A.P.S; or, Omar Sy in The Intouchables.

Because the book and film are in Dutch (and I don’t speak it), it’s difficult to get a read on just how racist (or not racist) and steeped in stereotypes (or not steeped in stereotypes) this book and movie actually are. Sources indicate that the books’ author, Robert Vuijsje, has studied American studies at the university level and spent time in America at the University of Memphis. And–I hate to say this because it sounds like such an excuse–he has a black girlfriend. Thus leading me to believe that he does have a serious interest in black culture both in America and the Netherlands and this book, and the subsequent movie, may actually have an interesting, novel, and informed take on its characters and the situation they find themselves in.
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Jamila Akil is a senior editor at Beyond Black and White. Follow her on Twitter @jamilaakil or email her at jamilathewriter-at-gmail-dot-com.