Top 10 Best Dutch Rom-Coms

The undisputed classic that set the bar for the entire genre in the Netherlands. Carice van Houten is the heart of the film as Kiki, a skeptical shop assistant, playing her with a disarming mix of down-to-earth realism and longing. The strength of the film is that the cast, including a phenomenal Michiel Romeyn as Sinterklaas, takes the emotions seriously. It's not a farce but a mosaic story in which loneliness and love alternate in a genuinely moving way.

Forget the standard polder romance; Meskina finally brought some flavor to the genre. Maryam Hassouni plays Leyla, a thirty-something whose surroundings label her 'pitiful' (meskina) because she has no husband and no career. Hassouni is brilliant at playing awkward situations, but Soundos El Ahmadi steals the show. The film is colorful, funny and breaks every cliché about the Moroccan-Dutch community without getting preachy.

Dutch rom-coms used to be pretty tame, until Happy Ending. Gaite Jansen plays Luna, who fakes her orgasms until she suggests a threesome to shake things up. It's fresh, beautifully shot and genuinely funny. Jansen and Joy Delima carry the film with chemistry that leaps off the screen. Finally, a film that treats sex and intimacy seriously as part of romance, instead of focusing only on the first kiss at sunset.

No list is complete without Lies Visschedijk. She turned the chaotic, wine-loving forty-something who loves to cook into a national icon. She doesn't play Soof as a woman who needs saving, but as someone learning that life doesn't have to be perfect. Her timing is unbeatable, switching from hilariously clumsy to deeply moving in a single scene. The film's success rests entirely on her likable shoulders.

Sanne Langelaar has become the new queen of the Dutch rom-com. In this film, in which she opens a B&B in a quaint village, her disarming charm carries everything. It does exactly what you expect, but it does it very well. The atmosphere is cozy and homely, and Langelaar gives her character just enough spark not to disappear among the rural clichés.

Before Marwan Kenzari conquered Hollywood, he showed here that he's an excellent leading man. He plays a single father with a gentleness rarely seen in the genre, which makes him instantly likable. His chemistry with Bracha van Doesburgh feels authentic. The Amsterdam setting is gorgeous, but it's the quiet little moments between the two that make the film memorable.

Barbara Sloesen took over the lead in these adaptations of Daphne Deckers' books. As Iris, a young mother trying to get her life back on track after a breakup, she is incredibly relatable and human. Where the first film was sometimes a bit heavy, this sequel finds the perfect balance. Sloesen plays the chaos of motherhood without a filter, showing that 'happily ever after' is really just hard work.

This film dared to do something different: what if the love of your life isn't your romantic partner but your best friend? Lies Visschedijk and Waldemar Torenstra play that platonic love beautifully. It's a breath of fresh air among all the films that end in a wedding. The acting is small and intimate, and Torenstra surprises by dropping his macho image completely to play a vulnerable, gentle character.

Katja Herbers is a world-class actress, and it shows. She elevates this story about a city woman sent to rural Zeeuws-Vlaanderen by gleefully playing up her character's arrogance. Thanks to her performance, the film never gets bogged down in cheap jokes about the countryside and becomes a warm plea for slowing down. She thaws convincingly, so you really go along with her.

This film stands out because it finally put the male psyche in love center stage. Barry Atsma steals the show as a man who slides into a midlife crisis and ends up in a bunny suit. The ensemble works because the storylines strengthen each other. It's not always subtle, but the men's desperation to make something of their lives is at times painfully funny and very recognizable.