Belgian

Small Gods: Elena's Elegy

admin — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 22:59:00 +0000

Small Gods, a film by Dimitri Karakatsanis, is described as being part of the Belgian new wave film movement. What that means, I'm not sure, but I'm absolutely in love it. While shot on a dismally cheap budget, you would never be able to tell with the gorgeous visuals that play out on screen. The film opens with a teary-eyed David, kidnapping Elena from the hospital after she has lost her son in a car crash. Elena awakes in David's mobile home and little dialogue passes between the two of them. David and Elena become travel partners rescuing a young mute, Sarah, from the side of the road. The three characters are a motley crew, who refuse to fit into the roles given to them by society. David is a compassionate man who goes around hugging people, because he can feel when they need the contact, while Elena does not adhere to gender stereotypes, working the forklift in a factory and being known for her quick, bullish temper. Sarah, whose past is revealed towards the end of the film, has taken a vow of silence and refuses to speak.

The film unravels slowly, switching back and forward between Elena being interviewed by a lawyer, and clips of what happened between she, David, and Sarah. The film is stunningly beautiful. Karakatsanis uses Belgium's hazy landscape and overcast grayness to only deepen the colors and mood of the film. Some of the most beautiful shots between the actors are in silhouettes, where you can only make out the seemingly watercolor painted sky behind them, as their blackened shapes move in and out of the frame.

The only part of this film that isn't fantastic is the soundtrack, which is sometimes it is a little too upbeat for the particular scene it is describing. While the film is slow-paced, Karakatsanis' cinematography is what keeps you interested in each frame until the surprising twist ending. It's nothing like anything I have ever seen before.

Written by: Chrissie Thornburg, March 28th 2009

Linkeroever (Left Bank)

admin — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 10:39:00 +0000

Directed by Pieter Van Hees

Caviar Films

A quiet Belgian horror film, Linkeroever, which translates to mean “left bank” in English, is the story of Marie, a professional runner who has just qualified for the European Championships. Played by the remarkable Eline Kuppens, Marie meets Bobby (played by actor Matthias Schoenaerts), the head of the archery guild. Bobby lives on the elusive left bank in a creepy apartment building whose residents are even more disturbing.

Marie soon comes down with an unexplainable illness that her doctor attributes to her rigorous running schedule, and she cannot compete in the European Championships as planned. But there are other symptoms to her illness that cannot be explained. Neither can the onset of her surreal dreams.

The film is surprisingly realistic for a horror film, and relies more on character development than hokey special effects or jump scares. Each event is played out as the truth as we follow Marie deeper into the mystery of the building where Bobby lives. This film contains none of the typical horror film tropes, there are stereotypical characters and no disgusting murders. Instead it plays more like a mystery film, and at points, I couldn't help but draw comparisons to Rosemary's Baby, Ginger Snaps, or the recent Japanese horror film Dark Water.

Linkeroever plays horror in a more realistic, dramatic circumstance. The longer I watched the film, the more I began to believe in secret fraternities and secret holes to hell as commonplace and ordinary. Because of this, the ending pleasantly crept up on me. It definitely gives an entirely new spin to the 'final girl theory'.

Linkeroever is beautifully filmed in Duerne, Belgium, and has the same aesthetic as fellow Belgian director Dimitri Karakatsanis, who contributed to the screenplay. I wouldn't pass this film up if you are a fan of character-driven horror films or strong female protagonists.

Written by: Chrissie Thornburg, March 19th 2009