De Kavijaks

"The Kavijaks" is a five part miniseries that tells the story of a rural Flemish family during and immediately after the second World War. A family consisting of an an exhausted mother and thirteen children dominated by a callous and fear-inspiring father they call "the general". These are harsh times and the will to survive for the children after the death of their mother and the ever increasing brutality and indifference of their father make their plight all the more difficult. Although the war is evidently present, it is used more as a background against which a study unfolds of human nature and particularly that of the amazing adaptability of children to overcome even the most extreme circumstances. Just as many adults conspire with the Germans in order to survive, the blood bond between the children gives them the strength to confront their vicious father and the menacing presence of the foreign enemy and also enables them to discover ingenious ways of obtaining food and other necessities for their well-being.