Alleluia (2014)

Directed by: Fabrice Du Welz
Country: Belgium / France

Movie Review: An unsettling portrait of an uncontrollable obsessive love, which becomes stained by blood, is what the Belgian film director, Fabrice Du Welz, submits in his fourth and strongest feature-length, “Alleluia”, a twin of the classic noir ‘Honeymoon Killers’. The film, celebrating an infusion of crime thriller and horror, is divided into four acts, each of them corresponding to a different woman. These women are the victims of Michel (Laurent Lucas), a persuasive sort-of-sorcerer with a fetish for feet, who seduces them (marrying if needed) with the unique goal of seamlessly steal their money, so he can proceed with his comfortable life. In the first of these acts, he conquers Gloria (Lola Dueñas), a morgue employee and single mother who shortly finds out his dishonorable intentions, but resolves to forgive and accept him as he is. She even decides to leave her beloved daughter behind for a while to help him in his following schemes. Pretending to be his sister, she is invaded by a fierce jealousy every time he’s with his new ‘brides’, a state only comparable to an evil possession that shoves her to kill brutally and remorselessly. Even if not original, the energy and eeriness put on the scenes were sufficient to instantly catch our eye. The camera moves fast, in bold movements, often relying on close-ups to intensify the immoral insanity of the couple. Technically, “Alleluia” offers much to admire. In addition to Vincent Cahay’s score, which varies from intensively glum to frantically rhythmic, cinematographer Manuel Dacosse was able to extract beauty from the most horrific scenes, continuing the amazing work he has presented in Cattet/Forzani’s vividly colored films. Competently edited by Anne-Lore Guéguin, the obscene “Alleluia” is a perverse odyssey of love and madness.

Cub (2014)

Directed by: Jonas Govaerts

Country: Belgium

Movie Review: The first scene of the Belgian horror flick, “Cub”, shows a woman in the woods frantically running from a devilish creature that eventually ends up grabbing her by the neck. After stir our curiosity with this premise, “Cub”, directed and co-written by the newcomer Jonas Govaerts, falls in a spiral of brutal scenes where graphical violence is remorselessly spewed at the sound of tense sonorities. Taking into account its genre, this could have been positive if the plot itself along with most of its characters weren't so coarse. Sam, an unquiet 12-year-old kid, spends a weekend in the woods, joining his group of Cub Scouts leaded by three inappreciable adults: the reasonable Chris, the self-indulgent Jasmijn, and the unbalanced bully, Peter. They spread the rumor that a half-human half-beast creature inhabits the forest, being responsible for numerous deaths that led to the closure of an old factory nearby. What was taken as a joke by the rest of the campers, was confirmed by the bullied Sam. He effectively sees this werewolf of the forest, named Kai, and creates a heinous bond with him. Their first victim was Peter’s pit-bull - put into a bag, left hanging from a tree and beaten up to death with sticks. As the story moves forward, we are taken to Kai’s father, a huntsman that takes pleasure in setting up ingenious traps in the woods, causing the death to his passing victims in a variety of atrocious ways. What could have been nice surprises, ended up being disclosed at an early stage, and the film is turned into a contrived mess where we can’t find anything particularly satisfying after digging into it. It’s all depicted with a stirring madness, but ultimately, “Cub” becomes corrupted by its own naivety and inconsistencies.

Two Days, One Night (2014)

Directed by: Luc and Jean-Pierre Dardenne
Country: Belgium / others

Movie Review: The talented Dardenne brothers never needed complex ideas to make an interesting film and “Two Days, One Night” proves exactly that, following the steps of “The Kid With a Bike”. The realism of every scene is almost everything they need to engage us in their contemporary stories where a lot of emotional stuff is going on, compelling us to identify ourselves with the misfortunes and joys of the characters. After going through a torturous depression, Sandra is apt to return to work. However, she is informed that her future in the solar panel factory where she works, will be decided by her 16 co-workers, who will vote to choose between keep her in the company or receive a deserved annual bonus for their hard work. Sandra has exactly two days and one night to talk personally with every one of them, explaining how important, to her and her family, is to keep that job. It’s noteworthy how the Dardennes easily manage to play with the viewers’ conscience and put us in a situation where it would be hard to make a choice, in case we had too. On the one hand, I felt sympathy for Sandra, thinking she deserved her place back in the company, while on the other hand, I understood that for some, a €1000 bonus, which would pay a year of gas and electricity, could be difficult to decline. Reactions and motives were distinct, making the unstable Sandra oscillate in her depressive state. Marillon Cotillard, even playing a depressive role, was capable to enchant, in her best performance since “La Vie en Rose”. The brothers’ direction was outstanding, preferring a modest but realistic closer look into the situation, in detriment of visually intense scenarios or beautiful background landscapes. Socially pertinent and simultaneously composed of sadness and triumph, “Two Days, One Night” definitely, is a drama to be watched.

The Strange Color of Your Body's Tears (2013)

Directed by: Helene Cattet, Bruno Forzani
Country: Belgium / others

Movie Review: Directors Helene Cattet and Bruno Forzani use the same saturated reds, blues and greens to create even more bold images than in “Amer”, their promising debut from 2009. With precise camera work, there’s no doubt that its weirdness stimulates us visually and intellectually, even considering the intentional dispersion of the script to baffle us. This was the main reason why the film didn’t work so well as a narrative, despite the mysteries of its strange associations, false leads and intricate dream layers, it turned out progressively exhausting with the repetition of ideas, most of them involving blood footprints, erotic sensuality and sharp knives ready to tear up bodies or piercing heads. The story starts when Dan Kristensen returns home after one of his frequent business trips and finds his apartment locked from inside and his wife missing. The mystery seems to be related with the building itself where its patterned connected walls hide the secrets of so many weird and untrusted tenants. There are times that we questioned if the problem is not Dan himself, and there are others where we don’t know what to think, such is the abusive confusion and dazzle created. Showing so much talent and a propensity to prevail artsy (including a great sound design), Cattet and Forzani should work a bit more in putting some light in the scripts without exclusively worry with the stylization of their pictures. Anyway, I can’t refrain from recommending this outlandish thriller for those who like vague insinuations and blurred conclusions.

The Treatment (2014)

Directed by: Hans Herbots
Country: Belgium

Movie Review: As much suspenseful as convoluted, “The Treatment” was based on the novel by the British crime-writer Mo Hayder, addressing a revolting subject matter such as pedophilia. Hans Herbot’s thriller, despite gorgeously shot and structured in a way to intrigue, doesn’t hide here and there some TV connotations, a fact that derives from the fact that Herbot has been strictly related to TV series since the beginning of his career in 1993. The story follows Nick Cafmeyer, a Federal Police chief inspector who lives haunted by the abduction and disappearance of his younger brother when he was a child. The principal suspect, Ivan Plettinckx, strangely claims to be the author of the crime, writing letters stating that Nick’s brother was his lover for several years. When an 8 year-old boy is reported missing and found dead in the top of a tree, Nick rekindles memories of his brother’s case. As the investigation proceeds, the word ‘troll’ is mentioned several times, adding a supernatural nature to the story, while a diversity of suspects are considered and questioned, including the kid’s father, a swimming teacher, and a woman who was accomplice of her brother’s sexual crimes. Along the tortuous path towards the dark truth, the right levels of tension are taken down by complex connections involving the numerous characters, all of them showing mysterious behaviors. The plot, not so neat as it was supposed to be, along with its dubious conclusions, most likely would have given a better TV series than a feature film. Shocking without being rude, “The Treatment” still managed to provide a few good moments of suspense.

The Fifth Season (2012)

Directed by: Peter Brosens, Jessica Woodworth
Country: Belgium / others

Movie Review: Belgium-based filmmakers Peter Brosens and Jessica Woodworth (“Khadak”, “Altiplano”) continue their audacious work on writing, production, and direction, with the lyrical and intimidating “The Fifth Season”, a sensational drama about the consequences of nature/climate changes on human beings. Instead of focusing in global chaos, the duo preferred to choose a small and isolated village in Belgian Ardennes whose community struggles to survive. Along four seasons, the viewer witnesses a progressive decadence, with the ‘angered’ Nature refusing to give them the basic needs - the bees fled from the beehives, cows no longer give milk and were taken out by the authorities, while potatoes didn’t germinate as they should. All these aspects are presented together with weird interactions and unexplainable communication among men and animals, along with inherent senses of fear and helplessness that produces deep changes in everyone’s behavior. Another very strong aspect in the film were the rituals, whether presented in the form of traditional parades, whether in form of sect gathering where alienation, sacrifice, or purification, become the new real threats to humanity. “The Fifth Season” was extremely satisfying in its approach, creating great impact through its disturbing score, haunting images, and constantly involving us in its grim story of survival pelted with supernatural forces and symbology. The film collected important prizes at Valladolid and Venice film festivals.

Our Children (2012)

Directed by: Joachim Lafosse
Country: Belgium / France / others

Review: “Our Children” is the most compelling Belgian drama since Dardenne brothers’ “The Kid With A Bike”. In its first moments we get to know that something terrible had happened to Murielle (Émilie Dequenne) and her family. To find out exactly what, we just have to follow her life from the moment that passionate Mounier (Tahar Rahim) asks her to marry him. Mounier is a Maroccan descendent whose adoptive father, Dr. Andre Pinget (Niels Arestrup), always supported and protected since childhood. After the couple’s third child has born, they started to struggle with lack of space and money, so they decided to move into Andre’s place. This increasing dependence on him will bring tragic consequences to their relationship, with Andre constantly trying to control the couple’s wills and ideas in an overwhelming way. Another parallel subject, though secondary, that is compellingly depicted in the film has to do with immigration and marriages of convenience. With a finale that gave me the creeps, “Our Children” was able to create such intensity, sadness, and tension around the story, that I felt suffocated just by watching Murielle’s expressions. The performances were simply superb, leading Dequenne to win the Un Certain Regard Award for best actress at Cannes, while Lafosse showed to be a filmmaker with exceptional maturity, presenting us another extraordinary accomplishment in his career.

The Broken Circle Breakdown (2012)

Directed by: Felix Van Groeningen
Country: Belgium / Netherlands

Review: A couple pursues balance on their relationship after the death of their little daughter due to cancer, mixing tears of joy and sadness in a dramatic story containing a rich musical side. The same hippie mood and Ruben Impens' cinematography, are the noticeable common aspects with “The Misfortunates”, Van Groeningen’s previous film, but here we are dealing with a much more intimate and sensitive matter. Even using a non-linear structure, we can divide this story in two different parts. In the first one, we get to know Didier, a bluegrass musician, his tattooed wife Elise, who owns a tattoo-parlor and also sings in the band, and their cancerous six year-old daughter Maybelle. This part is all about hope, the ups and downs related to Maybelle’s sickness, and a dive in the couple’s past. The second part is associated with the pain that remained after the child’s death, depression, and the ways found to deal with extreme suffering. The bluegrass music works as a vehicle of expressing feelings, enhancing the circumstantial happiness or sadness. At the same time that the film tries to avoid sentimental manipulation, it leaves a sensation of familiarity, with its faith issues, and shattered American dreams. The ending keeps up the intensity: sadness, depth, but also beauty.

Almayer's Folly (2011)

Directed by: Chantal Akerman
Country: Belgium / France

Review: Loosely adapted from Joseph Conrad’s debut novel, “Alamayer’s Folly” marks the return of Belgian filmmaker Chantal Akerman after a seven year absence. The adopted style, not so experimental as in other times, presents recognizable features; steady hand, long and precise shots, and efficient image composition, often using strong contrasts of shadow and light. The tale itself is bitter and powerful, following Gaspard Almayer (was Stanislas Merhar the right choice to play this character?), a French merchant whose great ambition for gold brought him to a remote village in Malaysia, where he got married to a local woman. From that loveless marriage, a beautiful mixed-race girl was born, becoming the proud of her father. Convinced by his employer, Alamayer sends his daughter Nina to a boarding school in town, where she could have a ‘white education’. But this will become a traumatic experience for her. Back to her village, after being kicked out from school, she will become the great love of Dain, a drugs smuggler who was Almayer’s last hope to get rich. Told in a strange but not discouraging way, “Almayer’s Folly” is a film about love, ambition, madness, racial issues, failed intentions, and disillusions. Its deliberate pace, nature sounds, and tropical ambience (reminding me Weerasethakul’s films without the mystical component), will not fit in everyone’s taste, but for those more adventurous, it may be a challenging cinematic experience.

Offline (2012)

Directed by: Peter Monsaert
Country: Belgium

Review: “Offline” is an interesting drama about a shattered family. The story focuses on Rudy, a quarrelsome ex-con, who returns to Ghent after seven years in prison to establish contact with his dejected daughter Vicky. The only way he has to do this is through the Internet, since someone told him she was working in a porn-chat website. It was noticeable that he wasn’t very welcome in town; his wife didn’t want to see him and his older friends became unfriendly. The exception is Rachid who often trusts him his computer without having any idea of what he was doing with it. During great part of the film, it is inevitable to wonder why Rudy had been arrested, but the plot will reserve the answers for the right moments, unveiling terrible family secrets. With a consistent camera work and good performances, Monsaert's most accessible movie, addresses a current topic but moves in well-known territories. The characters showed to bear a great heaviness on their shoulders and every contrariety could degenerate into irretrievable fatality. The end was left open, in a despairing story about giving a second chance to someone who has made huge mistakes in the past. "Offline" was capable of arousing curiosity, even when in needing of a bolder move to better stand out.

Altiplano (2009)

Directed by: Peter Brosens/Jessica H.Woodworth
Country: Belgium

Plot: A former war photographer and her physician husband are caught up in a riot in an Andean village.

Quick comment: Two women, one Peruvian and other Belgian, will cross paths. The former, is fighting a sickness that starts spreading across her village due to mercury spill in a mine exploration. The latter, is a photographer trying to recover from a traumatic situation. “Altiplano” delivers artsy images within a well-intentioned story but its approach isn't always totally satisfying. Despite of some narrative issues and the evident eagerness to be art-house, it still worth for its exceptional landscapes and mystic creeds.

Relevant awards: Golden Kinnaree (Bangkok).

Amer (2009)

Realizado por: Bruno Forzani e Helene Cattet

País: Bélgica

Um estranho filme experimental que recorre a sons, jogos de luz, respirações, cores e ambientes assustadores para contar em 3 partes a história macabra de Ana. Cada uma das parte representa um marco importante na vida desta personagem. A primeira na infância e o contacto com a morte e o sobrenatural, a segunda na adolescência e o desejo sexual reprimido, e a terceira na idade adulta com o regresso à casa da infância, a negação do desejo sexual e a aniquilação do objecto de desejo. A ideia é original e o resultado final é um misto de satisfação juntamente com a sensação de que poderia ser bem melhor, caso desse mais ênfase à narrativa em detrimento do turbilhão de imagens e sons.

The Kid With a Bike (2011)

Realizado por: Luc e Jean-Pierre Dardenne
País: Bélgica

Os irmãos Dardenne, voltam a pegar no seu tema favorito - o relacionamento entre pais e filhos, e criam mais uma magnífica história, à semelhança do que já tinha acontecido em obras anteriores ("rosetta", "the child"). Cyril é um miúdo abandonado pelo pai que vive num centro de acolhimento para crianças. Aos fins-de-semana, é acolhido por Samantha, uma cabeleireira, a qual conheceu acidentalmente quando procurava o seu pai no bairro onde habitava. Revoltado e encontrando-se num estado emocional muito frágil, não tardará a ser tentado por más companhias. Ultra-realista e possuindo um excelente trabalho de câmara, consegue demonstrar na perfeição, o estado de espírito das diversas personagens.

Bullhead (2011)

Realizado por: Michael R. Roskam
País: Bélgica

De argumento sólido mas bastante carregado, "Bullhead" é a estreia de Michael Roskam no que se refere a longas-metragens, após a realização de 3 curtas de pouco sucesso. Inspirado num episódio verídico, conta a triste história de um criador de gado, que se envolve em negócios mafiosos, ao mesmo tempo que carrega um grande trauma de infância, aliado a uma paixão obsessiva. Incisivo e com ambiente taciturno, é um filme de altos e baixos, assim como são os avanços e recuos no seu argumento.

Mr. Nobody (2009)

Realizado por: Jaco Van Dormael

País: Bélgica

Fantástica e intrigante história que nos deslumbra desde o início pelo puzzle que o seu enredo vai criando, sem nunca revelar directamente as respostas. A história passa-se num tempo futurista e alimenta-se das recordações de Nemo, o último mortal na Terra, contando com 117 anos. Acamado e com frequentes lapsos de memória, Nemo conta a sua vida a um repórter, centrando-se mais nas idades em que teve de fazer escolhas "impossíveis". Mas em vez de uma, Nemo conta 3 possíveis histórias da sua vida, totalmente diferentes. A dificuldade surge em saber qual das histórias é realmente a verdadeira.

The Misfortunates (2009)

Realizado por: Felix Von Groeningen
País: Bélgica

Gunther, um jovem de 13 anos, vive com a sua avó, o seu pai e três tios. Todos estes homens da sua família encontram-se corrompidos pelo álcool, pela ociosidade e ocasionalmente pela violência. Vivendo num ambiente degradado, Gunther, em certa altura da sua vida, decide afastar-se da família para tentar seguir outro rumo. Apresentado em tom de comédia, o filme funciona, merecendo a menção especial no Festival de Cannes.

Lorna's Silence (2008)

Realizado por: J.Pierre e Luc Dardenne
País: Bélgica

Lorna é uma emigrante albanesa a trabalhar na Bélgica. O seu sonho é deixar o seu actual emprego para abrir o seu próprio snack-bar, com a ajuda do seu noivo Sokol. Mas para isso, Lorna terá de obter a cidadania belga, sendo envolvida num plano maquiavélico por um mafioso local. Este, após engendrar um casamento de conveniência entre Lorna e Claudy (um toxicodependente), decide matar este último e obrigar Lorna a casar-se novamente com um russo disposto a pagar a peso de ouro por um passaporte europeu.

Prémio para melhor argumento no Festival de Cannes.