Katie Tippel

Directed by Paul Verhoeven

Produced by Rob Houwer Film Holland

A harrowing historical drama about a teenage girl's exploitation and survival in 19th-century poverty, grounded in autobiographical trauma.

In the late 19th-century, the Tippel family moves to rural Stavoren in search of greener pastures. However, their dreams are quickly shattered, as teenage Katie is terrorized by a male-dominated society who only see her as an object. Her situation worsens when, following her father's sacking and her elder sister's descent into alcoholism, her mother decides that, rather than starving, Katie becomes a prostitute.