The Beautiful Lie Within: Unveiling the Gritty Underbelly of Amsterdam
By Laetitia Miles
Fresh off a Best Director win and a Best Feature nomination at the Marbella International Film Festival, filmmakers Dwight A. Gabbert and Laetitia Miles have pulled back the curtain on their upcoming neo-noir feature, The Victorians. Along with a striking new trailer, Studio Seven Films has revealed the first deep look into the movie’s gritty, high-stakes narrative.
Set against the rain-slicked, neon-lit backdrop of Amsterdam, The Victorians follows a desperate band of rogues who prey on unsuspecting tourists. They find themselves bound by a shared, desperate dream: escaping to Spain—a mythical Eldorado where they believe their sins will be washed away. But the consequences of a life built on thievery and addiction might catch up to them before they can make their escape.
The Shadow Side of Humanity
[Jordan Maycock (Abba), Ali Rodney (Faith), and Morgan Rees-Davies (Virgil) in The Victorians.]
The chaos ignites when a cocky American tourist named Joey (Uriah Neubauer) gets robbed by thieving brothers Rey (Samuel White) and Abba (Jordan Maycock), pulling him into the sadistic web of Danny (Stephen Underwood). Masquerading as a charming local tour guide, Danny systematically lures vulnerable outsiders into the city’s darkest corners. Beneath his effortless charisma lies a calculating manipulator, a puppet master pulling the strings of Amsterdam’s fringe subculture.
Once a high-level mentor to the thieving brothers, Danny’s relationship with Abba has devolved into a dangerous game of cat and mouse. As they stalk each other through the neon-lit streets, their strange courtship reveals a volatile obsession: beneath the facade of hatred lies a desperate craving for validation and psychological intimacy.
To make himself feel superior, Abba uses his junkie sidekick, Alfi (Neil Webster), as a crutch, convincing him that one big score will buy their ticket to Spain to get clean. But as Alfi begins to see the light, the power dynamic shifts. Alfi plays both sides against the middle, throwing fuel on the fire of the volatile relationship between Abba and Danny.
The Ties That Bind
Meanwhile, a romance blossoms between Rey and Danny’s sister, the femme fatale Faith (Ali Rodney). As they cling to the fragile illusion of a brighter future, an unexpected pregnancy forces Faith to reconsider her loyalties.
[Samuel White (Rey) and Ali Rodney (Faith) in The Victorians.]
In the aftermath of Joey’s downfall, Virgil (Morgan Rees-Davies)—the shadowy hostel owner posing as a spiritual guru—steps in to help the lad pick up the pieces. Joey thinks he is receiving genuine guidance, but the unfolding dynamic of their relationship forces the young American into territory for which he is completely unprepared.
As director Dwight A. Gabbert notes, the narrative centers heavily on these internal illusions: “With The Victorians, we wanted to delve into the complex interplay of camaraderie and deception. The film reveals intimate relationships built entirely on the foundation of a beautiful lie—one that binds these characters together before eventually tearing them apart.”
Watch the Trailer
Take a wild ride through Amsterdam and watch the official trailer for the contemporary neo-noir feature The Victorians.
Official Website: https://www.
Official Video Screening Room (Vimeo Master Cut): https://vimeo.com/
Official IMDb Page: https://www.imdb.com/