Spinoza
A historical drama by Rudolf van den Berg (De Avonden), who died shortly after filming, about the life of the seventeenth-century philosopher Spinoza, who risked his life for his revolutionary ideas.
Amsterdam, 1656. Spinoza (1632–1677) lives in an era when science is on the rise. The young philosopher rejects the idea that God, as an all-seeing Father, guides our lives. According to Spinoza, the dogma of the immortal soul forms the basis for the abuse of power by priests, ayatollahs, imams, and other tyrants. He views religion as the lubricant of oppression and dictatorship. These ideas provoked fierce reactions from both the church and the state. His neighbour, Rembrandt van Rijn, warns him of the life-threatening consequences of his defiance, but Spinoza refuses to be ruled by fear.
With Spinoza, Dutch director Rudolf van den Berg pays tribute to the Netherlands’ most influential philosopher – a man who was among the first to recognize free thought as a prerequisite for a harmonious society.