The cameras were almost everywhere and the artists had no influence whatsoever on the editing of the end result. Suzan & Freek want with the Netflix documentary Between you and me show that their lives are not all Instagram-worthy moments. And that is sometimes quite intense to see again, the duo tells NU.nl.
“I still find it confrontational to see myself on screen anyway,” says Suzan. “That you think: girl, had your hair done a bit. Now I mainly had it in scenes in which you see discussions between Freek and me. Of course we often have enough differences of opinion. But you normally do not see how that works. How you then talk to each other and respond to each other.”
Suzan & Freek, the couple known for hits like Gold, When It Is Evening in The other side, are normally not very loose about their private lives. Making a documentary about their lives behind the scenes is therefore a striking choice.
However, the duo came up with the idea themselves. After a breakthrough that largely took place in corona time, 2022 became a special year for them with many highlights. And they wanted a camera with that.
“It’s not a forced marketing video”
“We went to Netflix ourselves and it turned out that they already had it on their list there,” says Freek. It clicked immediately with director Laura Veenema, so they dared to allow the cameras almost everywhere. The two therefore did not have to interfere with which fragments would and would not be included in the documentary. “It was clear that they would not go into the bedroom with us, but we never denied them access,” says Freek.
“There is a scene where you hear a conversation between us in the dressing room, but you can’t see us because the door is closed. They didn’t come in with the camera so as not to disturb the discussion, but the sound was recorded. They were so really everywhere. It’s not a forced marketing video,” says Suzan.
The singing duo believe they owe it to their fans to show that life is not all about highlights. “On Instagram you can only see how great we have it. Then everything seems easy,” says Suzan. “Many kids still feel that they have to meet a certain ideal, which is not feasible. That is why we also want to show our vulnerability,” Freek adds.
For example, Suzan discusses insecurities about her appearance in the documentary. “In the beginning I was still aware of the cameras. But because you are followed for a whole year, that becomes less. There are also only eighty minutes of footage from a whole year in the film, so you are no longer there So busy with it. When I watched it, I thought: oh yes, I said that then.”
‘It has also taught us to build in a little more peace’
The couple watched the documentary on the couch at Christmas with their parents, who also speak. “What we experience also has a lot of impact on their lives, so it was nice to see it through their eyes,” says Freek.
For example, his mother tells about the divorce with his father, which happened around Suzan & Freek’s breakthrough. “I doubted for a while whether I would talk about it in front of the camera. But we wanted to show our lives honestly and openly and then that is part of it,” says Freek.
The film also shows how Suzan & Freek cross the country for festivals and concerts. Looking back, the fast pace of their lives also became clear to them. For example, one day they drive back home by car after a concert in the Ziggo Dome, only to report back to Ahoy the next morning. “That was a strange, unhealthy discharge,” says Freek. “You just need more time to enjoy after something so big. We try to take that with us,” says Suzan.
Between you and me helps them now realize what they have been through in the past year. Freek: “And one day we can show our children: this is what mom and dad used to do.”
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