Downtown
The opening film of the Netherlands Film Festival is a drama about the hedonistic Amsterdam gay scene during the AIDS crisis. Three friends from days gone by try to rekindle their friendship during the 2021 coronavirus lockdown.
Amsterdam, 1986. In the buzzing nightclub Downtown, Ronnie, Lennart and Bas seem untouchable. Their close-knit friendship revolves around wild nights of reckless love, set against the backdrop of a city in constant flux. But as the first rumours about AIDS begin to spread, the mood around them slowly starts to change. While Ronnie cautiously tries to look ahead, Lennart and Bas keep clinging to a life that seems endless, until Bas suddenly vanishes without a trace.
More than thirty years later, during the coronavirus pandemic, Ronnie unexpectedly spots Bas on the metro. He decides to organise a dinner, bringing Lennart along too, their first meeting in years. The reunion offers them a chance to look back on those days, but also brings hidden truths to light.