De kavijaks

- Season 1

(2006)

The 'general' is the patriarch of the outcast Vantorre (knickname Kavijak) family, 13 children, in West Flanders province, but actually a useless drunk with an ever-sick wife, so the boys provide for themselves any way they can. Summer 1940, the Nazi troops roll over Belgium. The general poses as commander of family resistance but his only actual deed is stealing the family's ration-book so he can keep drinking. Sensitive Pilfen and three rascal siblings mount a 'holy quartet', initially to fight the Germans, but find most quite humane, even generous, then earn food ...

1941. Now ma has died from illness, pa 'the general' seizes the eldest daughter, who returned home for the funeral, as lust-object. School rebels Piften and Bolle are 'happily' expelled for an 'obscene' (medical) book and join full-time the business dealings Spille presides over, while pa keeps stealing profits and abusing prodigal sons. Piften gets the friendly German adjutant to force pa to let his sister accept a nurse position in Ostende. Visiting her, Piften must abandon his incestuous love for her while Bolle eagerly accepts a 'freeby' from the officer's '...

Piften swoons for a movie star, gets sex from the female projectionist but dislikes it even before grandpa warns she's married. The war tide turns against the Germans, so the Kavijaks must search new ways to provide for themselves. Canadian fliers inspire a bizarre deal, trading Nazi soldiers' safe conduct for their last supplies. The general is found-out humping another daughter, merely rebuked by the police and exacts revenge ruining all earnings from three war years, yet is beaten at his own game auctioning the house.

1945, the war is over in Belgium. While his siblings concentrate on making money any (thievish) way they can, Piften gets absorbed by his love for the Jewish girl Esther, whom he calls Belinda, who was traumatized during the occupation but starts warming up to him. A jealous ploy is set up by his ex while his brothers make him clean op grandpa's dump and help capitalizing on the abandoned German bunker supplies.

In 1946, a year after loosing trace of Esther, his 'beloved Belida', Piften remains obsessed with the search for her. The home gang feels it's time to make up now the junkyard, which he promised grandpa to keep going, has been closed down by the authorities. Bolle is delegated to find and bring back big brother, but first enjoys visiting their brothel-restaurant friend, who becomes his lover. Piften meanwhile bumped into father 'the general', who dares him to a drinking contest ensuing in a fight and Piften's imprisonment, which allows meeting Bolle, so they can both ...