Hosting at the heart of an Apple Store
The facts are true. On February 22, 2022, a heavily armed man entered Apple Store in Amsterdam, on Place Leidseplein. He takes a client hostage for more than five hours, demanding $ 230 million in cryptocurrency. While the police surround the building, around a hundred people – as they are employees – find themselves trapped inside, for five hours.
The assailant threatens to explode the charges he says he has on him. He draws in the direction of the police and pushes the emergency services to manage an intense situation. But the situation ends suddenly: the hostage manages to escape, the armed man tries to prosecute him and gets mowed by a police car. He died a little later in the hospital.
Ihostage: a drama cut for Netflix
Ihostage does not adopt a simple narrative rhythm, but has several points of view -a technique that is quite widespread today: that of the aggressor, hostages -notably a Bulgarian national -and intervention services. This immersive approach offers a psychological rereading of the event, at the crossroads between thriller and human drama.
The fact that the action takes place in an Apple Store -lieu generally associated with technology, design and peaceful consumption – gives a fairly unique varnish to the film. In watermark, Ihostage raises the question of the unpredictable danger in our most familiar spaces.
The film is signed Simon de Waal in the script, with a production provided by Horizon Film. It also marks a turning point for Netflix, which is investing more and more in True stories, but in international reach. For the rest, you will have to wait four little days!
