Martine & Louise Fokkens, identical twins, are a pair of old biddies. They potter around town wearing the same clothes, finishing each other’s sentences and reminiscing about the old times. Due to arthritis, Louise has recently retired from the business. Martine is still at it, on the game.

Rob Schröder & Gabriëlle Provaas have created a truly irreverent documentary. Our protagonists are engaging, witty, completely mad and, most importantly, candid. Their stories are uniformly lewd, but Louise and Martine don’t bat an eyelid at the content. They have no scruples discussing their clients’ fetishes or the things that are asked of them – in fact, they take a certain professional pride in their ability to satisfy men of all stripes. In one particularly memorable scene, they discuss how, when the priests and rabbis used to come visit them, they would generally ask to be dominated. So, naturally, having satisfied them, they would force the naughty clergymen to fall to their knees and say their prayers!

… despite all these traumatic stories and events, the documentary never slips into a maudlin tone.

Yet the great success of MEET THE FOKKENS is not in the lurid details of their profession but in the consistent tone. When their memories turn to the past, the women recall their first husbands, John & William, and how the sisters became prostitutes. William’s pimping and other criminal activities eventually forced Martine into the red light district. Louise defiantly joined her sister, upon seeing how their family and friends began to treat her. Martine was later made by William to give up their daughter for adoption, though she is now reconciled with her. Yet, despite all these traumatic stories and events, the documentary never slips into a maudlin tone. Even when they visit the foster home where Martine’s daughter grew up, the emotion is kept in check. Throughout this disturbing and sad passage of events there are no tears. Life is for the living, and the Fokkens don’t do tears. The filmmakers do well to avoid moralising and instead allow their subjects to dictate the story, which the Fokkens do magnificently.