Cornelis Vreeswijk (1937 – 1987) achieved fame in Germany for his duets with Siw Malmkvist, but the Dutch-born singer never aspired to a purely pop music career. The title of his first album, “Balladen und Grobheiten” (“Ballads and Incivility”), was a clue to his intent. His life was as turbulent and non-conformist as his career, never derailed by several stretches behind bars. A former ship’s engineer and factory worker, he trod self-confidently in the footsteps of 18th century Swedish poet Carl Michael Bellman, whose songs Cornelis interpreted as contemporary blues and chansons. He even did a charismatic singer-songwriter adaptation of samba music. Uncompromising, he went head-to-head with state broadcasters and the Swedish tax authorities. He was a very productive troublemaker, and Hans Erik Dyvik Husby (AKA Hank von Hell), former frontman of the Norwegian death punk band Turbonegro, gives him spellbinding life on screen in this bio-pic by rapper and director Amir Chamdin. Cornelis’ son, Jack Vreeswijk, contributed the film music.