Though not exactly a true crime film Hanro Smitsman's Schemer should strike a chord with anyone familiar with the case of young Maja Bradaric's murder. A sixteen year old girl killed by her high school friends, Bradaric's story has already been given the documentary treatment with Menna Laura Meijer's Sweety and now Smitsman is using the case as the basis for his fictional Schemer.
Due for release in Dutch theaters in October, the first trailer has just been released on the official website and it looks like truly powerful stuff. Take a look below.The haunting search to discover why fifteen-year old Jessie was murdered by her closest friends.
After a group of teenagers discover one of their friends lying dead on a river bank on one of the hottest days of summer, a story of jealousy, insecurity and peer pressure gradually unfolds. Group leader Caesar is able to magnify - out of all proportion - the small grievances that each of Jessie's friends bear towards her and transforms them into a general and pervasive hatred that leads ultimately to her horrible, senseless killing.
Before you think the title "Schemer" is about someone who schemes, it's actually the Dutch word for Twilight.
Yet reading about the Caesar character in that synopsis I think they can keep "Schemer" as a title for the international release as well!
Incidentally, that murder shocked the nation. Right-wing media was quick to start rumors that it concerned a family-honor based murder amongst Muslims, but the truth later turned out to be a lot weirder. Apparently a group of her (former) friends just decided she was a bad person who needed to die and killed her, just like in the synopsis...