The director Alex van Warmerdam is known in Holland for his film "Abel", a comedy about a man who refused to grow up and who still lives with his parents, at the age of 26. The film, "De jurk" (the dress) also starts out like a comedy, but the longer you watch, the less you feel the need to laugh. The lives of unrelated people touch because of the dress and totally unrelated events suddenly fit into the story because of the dress. I could not discover a message in the film, probably because there is none. I found the film very entertaining, but was surprised that it turned out rather black and grim.