With short film ‘Tuinhuis’, Finn van den IJssel advocates for more care for one another

The solution for declining mental health is often learning to take better care of yourself. But according to former EUC student Finn van den IJssel, caring for each other is at least just as important. He hopes to convey this message with the screening of Tuinhuis (Garden House), a short drama film that will be shown during Wellbeing Week.

Wellbeing Week runs from Monday 18 to Thursday 22 May. The film, directed by Van den IJssel, will be screened on Tuesday in the Theil Building. The film itself lasts 18 minutes, but the event doesn’t end there. After the screening, two student psychologists will engage visitors in conversation, addressing not only self-care but also care for others.

A fashion designer and a squatter

The film follows a young, overworked fashion designer named Imme, who becomes enormously stressed when his sewing machine breaks down just before an important deadline. Tense and anxious, he heads to his family’s garden house in search of a working sewing machine.

There, a big surprise awaits him. The garden house has been squatted by Maud, a student. “This student confronts him not only with her presence,” Van den IJssel explains, “but also with her different outlook on life, work, and performance pressure.”

Tuinhuis was filmed over four days. Three of those days took place in a garden house behind Blijdorp. The final day was filmed entirely in Rotterdam-Zuid.

Wellbeing Week

Maud’s perspective on life is a key part of what Van den IJssel wants to convey to students. It is therefore no coincidence that the film is being screened during Wellbeing Week.

“Wellbeing Week is usually very much focused on the individual,” Van den IJssel feels. “I understand that to some extent, but I also find it harmful. Making everything revolve solely around the individual is problematic, and that is something we need to tackle together.”

Van den IJssel therefore advocates for community care rather than self-care. He hopes to break through individual responsibility, so that no one has to face alone issues such as the housing or climate crisis, declining mental and physical health, and performance pressure.

Always too busy

For students wondering whether they can find time between deadlines to attend the screening, Van den IJssel has a message: “If you feel like you’re too busy to make time for this event, you are actually exactly our target audience.”

“We specifically want to engage with people who are always too busy,” he continues. “With people who always want to achieve more. And this event is simply a real opportunity to talk about that pressure.”