The Hunt for Meral Ö.

Film made about the allowance affair: 'Would be good if everyone watched this'

By Edition NL·September 4, 2024·Updated: September 4, 2024

RTL News

Tonight, the movie “The Hunt for Meral Ö.” about the victims of the benefits affair will premiere. Movies and series about social problems can bring about change, but how difficult is that for a topic where the solution seems far from in sight?

The benefits affair has been a topic of discussion in the Netherlands since 2017. Tens of thousands of people have been unfairly accused of fraud by the tax authorities for years, with all the ensuing consequences. The film De Jacht op Meral Ö. is about Meral, a Turkish-Dutch woman who lives with her daughters in Almere and struggles with debts and stress. Stijn Bouma is the director of the film and hopes that the film will not only cause a stir, but will also lead to a wider discussion about how bureaucracy can destroy people's lives. “When I spoke to the victims later, I was so touched that I wanted to help these people in my own way,” says Bouma. “This way, I may be able to contribute to processing the suffering they have experienced.”

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“Seen as a number and not as a person”

Former MP for the SP, Renske Leijten, has already watched the film. She praises the way in which the film shows the reality of the benefits affair, but believes that the drama could be highlighted even more. “It may even have been made a little too soft.” She does note that the film does a good job of showing how the protagonist, Meral, loses control of her life. “Meral is really seen as a number and not as a person.” Leijten is impressed by how the film highlights the parents' impotence: “That they lose control and they take over control.” She insists that this sense of helplessness, where people are seen as profiteers rather than individuals with their own problems, is still a structural problem.

Bouma has already made two documentaries.

By the way, this is not the first time that Bouma has made something about the benefits scandal. Indeed, he has already made two documentaries. “I especially noticed that the first documentary made a lot of impact, but in the end it didn't change much. Not even for the victims I had spoken to.”

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Help instead of punishment

And that is certainly the purpose of films and documentaries about social problems: to bring about change. “I actually hope that the people who need help get that help instead of being controlled and punished.” Bouma wants people not to look away, but to see how quickly things can go wrong. “It would be good if everyone watched this movie,” he says. “Too many people think this isn't about them. This can happen to anyone.” Former MP Leijten also hopes that the film can improve society. “We need to have trust instead of distrust in politics.” According to Leijten, it would be good if people thought about what they could do themselves if they see such cases as the benefits affair. In any case, the film sets tongues loose. “It's being talked about in a lot of places.” Director Bouma sees that too. “What I notice about this film now in terms of attention. It seems to trigger a lot, because you may be really imagining it now and putting the viewer in the shoes at the time of what all happened.”

Reactions to the movie

The reactions to the film have been overwhelming, with a lot of emotions from the audience. Bouma shares that after the private premiere, duped mothers came to him to thank him with tears in their eyes. “I'm hoping for a discussion about the control of benefits, surcharges. That the people who need help should get that help instead of being controlled and punished.”