Vrijdag (Friday)

Hugo Claus

Psychological & social drama

The dour George Vermeersch returns home after a prison term and finds that his wife has taken a friend of his as a lover. Vermeersch, who at first appears to have been innocent of any transgression, had been accused of having had an incestuous relationship with his daughter. In the process of adapting to his new life as a free man, Vermeersch confesses to his wife that the accusations had been true after all. She acknowledges that she was aware of his illicit relations with their daughter from the first, and he realises that she had offered her loving support regardless. Though she and her lover toy with the idea of continuing their relations, the lover ultimately resolves to leave the Vermeersches to sort out their dilemma and reconstruct their marriage. With the full weight of the truth bearing down on them, they make the first halting steps toward a genuine reconciliation.