DE BENDE VAN jan de lichte

"thieves of the wood" (2020)

"Flanders, 1747 AD. Bad versus worse. A story about survival in its purest form fueled by betrayal and distrust on every level…"

The series is loosely based on the famous novel with the same title by Louis Paul Boon, one of our most important novelists.

The story takes place in Flanders in the 18th century during the Austrian war.
Jan returns from that war as a prisoner, accused of desertion and murder. He manages to escape and returns to his region of birth and discovers a rough, divided world that has changed and where there’s no good or bad, just bad and worse.

Outlaws live their lawless lives in the woods and struggle to survive, the so-called good people live in the city and try to maintain their status. Jan is a dreamer and doesn’t want to stick around in such a miserable place. He wants to migrate to America, the promised land where everybody is equal. But he has a message to deliver about the mysterious death of a soldier and by doing so, he stays longer than he wants to.

He starts fighting the painful injustice, and convinces the outlaws they have to organize themselves to escape their miserable fate. As a result, they pull of an unseen heist on a stagecoach and Jan becomes a hero against his will. He’s too realistic to believe in real changes as betrayal and distrust keep on raging, even after that successful heist. He’s no Robin Hood, he doesn’t even try, but it’s his constant belief in a better place and a better life that sparkles some hope into that dark world and the people around him.

now on netflix

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