#Documentary film 'F.O.A.M.'
F.O.A.M. is an autonomous art collective led by Felix, a Polish anarchist living in the Netherlands. They engage in squatting actions across Europe throughout the year. Employing cunning tactics, they continuously challenge landlord evictions, evade police pursuits, and provoke governmental authorities with radical actions. However, they eventually disband due to internal disagreements and power struggles. The film aims to document the courage, ideals, and resistance behind social movements, as well as the vulnerability faced in the complex societal reality.
Felix was born during the tumultuous period of the collapse of the Polish communist regime, with his Jewish grandfather having experienced persecution and exile during World War II. Felix's childhood was spent moving constantly with his mother, which left him lacking in identity and belonging, with complex emotions towards residences/housing.
The film begins with a farmer protest in Hague, where Felix and his comrades drive a graffiti-covered tractor onto the highway, protesting against environmental pollution amid deafening music. Soon after, member Toner discovers an abandoned houseboat by the Amsterdam canals. To stay vigilant, they maintain contact with independent radios and successfully occupy the houseboat. However, Felix and Toner disagree on whether to remain or vacate the squat to lower the risk of police detection. Despite Felix's insistence and successful negotiation with the boat owner, their whereabouts are eventually exposed due to a young member Abdul's marijuana dealings. To evade police pursuit, they must evacuate overnight and find temporary refuge at the Zemsta art community, where they encounter another young girl, Christina, the founder of a heavy metal band. While Toner believes Felix lacks strategic planning and is unable to ensure the group's long-term survival, Christina proposes more radical actions to deter the police. Christina invites F.O.A.M. to participate in a special New Year's Eve operation - cutting off the power, scaling the military compound fence, and setting off fireworks outside the women's prison windows - resulting in their arrest and a week of detention. However, Christina inspires Felix to establish more radical artistic spaces through squatting. He begins to realize this idea, while Toner suspects Felix's true motives, suspecting him of seeking pleasure and romantic pursuits rather than caring about the meaning behind F.O.A.M's squatting actions. They erupt into a second conflict revolving around political and artistic views, ultimately leading to Toner's departure and F.O.A.M's dissolution. Long after, Felix disappears, and he may have become another Banksy, or perhaps not.
To watch：https://youtu.be/ao5QJD1KwFo
