Now available on streaming services, such as Amazon Prime. Roku and AppleTv, is the interesting documentary, Sex, Drugs and Bicycles. It premiered on PBS just the other day.
The film was directed by Jonathan Blank. His first documentary was 1994’s Sex, Drugs and Democracy. Blank returned to the Netherlands as a follow up to his original film.
Do not let the title sway you from watching this film. The title does grab your attention, but there is more to it than the words used in the title.
Normally I write up my own synopsis of a film, but in some cases (such as this one), I think it’s best to utilize the one that was provided to me.
An unmissable documentary, ‘’Sex, Drugs & Bicycles’’ takes a funny and provocative look at Holland and answers the question: is having month-long double paid vacations, no fear of homelessness & universal healthcare the nightmare we’ve been warned about? The answer may surprise you. Then again it may not. It really depends on a lot of factors outside our control. The Netherlands may be best known for its windmills and tulips (and marijuana “coffeeshops”), but it’s also a country that is at the forefront of LGBTQI equality, free speech laws, and animal rights. Additionally, the Dutch economy is one of the best in the world, and they are in the top 5 of almost every quality-of-life index. Everyone also has excellent health insurance that even covers transgender medical procedures and sex care for the disabled.
I did not realize that the Netherlands was like this. When I thought of Holland, I also thought about tulips, windmills, marijuana, and legal prostitution. I never knew about all the other things that the country had to offer.
On the surface, it would seem like there is nothing but hedonism going on over there. While that is true in some degree, the country and its people are happy and healthy, there is also a downside as well. It’s now all “sunshine and rainbows” in the Netherlands. There is a tradeoff, in this case, hate crimes and high taxes.
The film goes on to explore the ways the Netherlands and the United States are similar, and in what ways they are nothing alike.
I found this documentary interesting. After watching the trailer, I thought that the Netherlands seemed like utopia here on Earth. With all the “good” there is also plenty of “bad.”
My husband is NOT a fan of documentaries. Whenever I want to watch one, I do it when he is not home from work, or I watch them from my laptop. He thinks documentaries are boring and redundant. Surprisingly, he watched this film with me. He said that the title was intriguing, and he wanted to see what it was all about (especially the connection between sex and drugs and bicycles).
My husband admitted to me that he was not bored with the documentary, and that he understands how I find documentaries fascinating and educational. He even joked with me that we should move to Holland for a year and see how we like it.
The film uses a lot of interviews, stats, and plenty of images from around the country. I like that the director utilized a plethora of sources to teach viewers about this unique country. There is even a bit of humor in the film as well. It’s a well rounded documentary. It kept my non-documentary loving husband interested through the entire film. That is impressive as far as I’m concerned.
If you are interested in learning more about this film, you can visit the film’s official website, https://sdbmovie.com/
You can also follow the film on social media. All of it’s links are found on the bottom of the film’s website.
Below is the film’s trailer for your enjoyment.
Kimberly
*I received a free screener link to watch the film. There was no compensation. The opinions expressed are my own and not influenced in any way.
