TURBULENT SKIES: A Suspenseful Dutch Miniseries About Aviation

Turbulent Skies is a Dutch television series that was released in 2020. The series is directed by Joram Lürsen, who is known for directing The Resistance Banker. Turbulent Skies is about Anthony Fokker and Albert Plesman. These were two aviation pioneers who played a major role in building civil aviation in the Netherlands. The series takes place between 1919 and 1939. The series was first broadcast by AVROTROS on the 18th of October 2020 and received positive reviews. This is fairly understandable. Turbulent Skies is in fact one of the best Dutch series that I have seen in ages. In this review, I’d like to explain why that is.

Normally I don’t watch that many Dutch productions. I’m not just talking about Dutch feature films or Dutch documentaries but also produced series from the Netherlands. I hardly watch any Dutch series at all. This is because I’ve gotten the idea that Dutch series all consist of the same formula of over-the-top acting and poorly written stories. But after seeing Turbulent Skies, I realize how wrong I was. This miniseries managed to amuse and move me with only 8 episodes. It has informed and challenged me. I was never bored while watching Turbulent Skies.

Perfect Casting resulted in (Almost) Perfect Acting

For an (adventurous) drama series, there is also a fair amount of suspense in the story. This is partly due to the acting of the cast. The great acting consists not only of the male protagonists who play the roles of Fokker and Plesman. It can certainly be said that Daan Schuurmans, Fedja van Huêt, Steef de Bot and Bram Suijker portray the roles of Fokker and Plesman at different ages tremendously well. Yet it should be strongly pointed out that the rest of the cast also really shines in their roles. de Bot and Schuurmans both play Plesman from a different time period. Suijker and van Huêt both play Fokker.

Take, for example, Sanne-Samina Hanssen and Laura de Boer. Both ladies are also indispensable in this series. All the roles are perfectly cast and are played incredibly strong by their respective cast members. I take my hat off to the cast and casting agents for doing a top-notch job. However, a reviewer must remain critical. It can certainly be said that as a viewer you have to get used to the acting of de Bot as the young Plesman. This is because especially in the first two episodes his exaggerated Dutch accent is very distracting. After a while his accents to be less forcefully present, which leaves me only with admiration for the strong acting of de Bot.

The biggest plus I can give this series is that it manages to spread its story over 20 years. That it manages to do this in 8 episodes is only more extraordinary. It is more common that this fails than that it actually succeeds. This series does manage to do this – partly because the main characters are so well developed in their storylines. It is mainly the ongoing battle between Fokker and Plesman that keeps the series going strong. It provides the necessary tension and underpins the story of these two gentlemen immensely well. It is pure entertainment to watch these two individuals go up against each other. It is also touching that despite everything they still have a lot of respect for each other.

Incorrect Historical Context doesn’t hurt this Miniseries

Turbulent Skies is certainly a series that has been romanticized. There are many events portrayed that actually took place, but there are some events that are not placed in historical context. One example is the death of a loved one of Plesman. This event has been taken completely out of historical context. The situation has been used to dramatize the story. It is understandable that some viewers will have difficulty with these changes. However, this situation can also be looked at from a storytelling standpoint. Some events may not be placed in the historical context, but it does not harm the story. The event and its consequences are still present in the story. Because of this, the filmmakers still manage to bring the drama of the actual event back into the story of the series. It remains extraordinary that the filmmakers managed to do this.

This is mainly due to the work of the screenwriters. They knew how to adapt actual events into this context. In addition, they also manage to turn these events into a gripping story. A story where there is an endless battle between the main characters to be the fastest and the best.
The use of recorded footage from the time supports the credibility of the story in the series. This is partly due to the superior camera work that captures current actors and actresses as if they were walking around in the days of the 1920s and 1930s. It is an endless pleasure to witness how amazing Turbulent Skies manages to recreate the atmosphere of this era.

Conclusion

Turbulent Skies is simply a top series of Dutch soil. The acting is incredibly good and rises far above normal Dutch acting. As a viewer, you will feel enthused to watch a new episode of this series. You simply will not be able to wait to see how the story continues. This series is also very suitable to binge-watch. In addition, the series knows how to capture the atmosphere of those times through its unique camera work and production design. Yet as a reviewer I have to nitpick a bit that the acting of de Bot takes some time to get used to. But it remains simply a great series that I can recommend to everyone.

Do you watch Dutch feature films or televised series? If so, what’s your impression of these productions from the Netherlands? Let us know in the comments.