morbid catholic writer gerard reve jeroen krabb homosexual alcoholic frequent visions death invited give lecture literature club vlissingen railway station amsterdam feels noncorresponded attraction handsome man embarks another train gerard introduced treasurer club beautician christine halsslag rene soutendijk wealthy widow owns beauty shop sphinx one night stand next morning gerard sees picture christines boyfriend herman thom hoffman recognizes man saw train station suggests bring herman house spend couple days together secret intention seducing man christine travels kln bring boyfriend gerard stays alone house drinks whiskey snoops safe finding three film reels names men decides watch footages discover christine married three guys died tragic accidents later gerard believes christine witch question whether herman doomed fourth husband br br the ambiguous the vierde man another magnificent feature paul verhoeven dutch phase story supported excellent screenplay uses catholic symbols build tension associated smart dialogs magnificent performance jeroen krabb role disturbed alcoholic writer stunning cinematography inconclusive resolution open interpretation like many european movies explore common sense intelligence viewers mediocre directors use front nudity men promote films however paul verhoeven uses nudity gerard reve part plot never aggressive seeking sensationalism last least androgynous beauty sexy rene soutendijk perfectly fits role woman attracts gay writer vote eightbr br title brazil o o homem the th man