10 Belgian movies you must see
The Bulletin has put together a list of 10 films that display what being Belgian is all about – for better or for worse. Some of the films are produced in the tucked-away corners of the platteland, giving the perfect snapshot of Flemish or Walloon life. Others simply display the massive cinematic talent that flows in a Belgian’s veins, while allowing a glance at some of the deep (and sometimes deranged) thoughts that occupy their minds. Complete this list, and you can start calling yourself a Belgian c inema connoisseur.
1.) Dikkenek
This 2006 film truly defines what it means to be Brusselaar, or a true-blue Brussels-born local. It's a broad comedy that delves into the lives of different Belgian dikkenek (a Dutch word for someone who is wealthy or a show-off): from the bored, beautiful Natacha to Claudy, a slaughterhouse manager and amateur photographer (of Natacha). Outrageous and layered with cultural references, the film is packed with laughs at Brussels’ many oddities. We suggest watching Dikkenek once a year, as each time you will uncover a new hilarious moment in the film that you didn’t understand before. Directed by Olivier Van Hoofstadt, the film blasted many Belgians and non-Belgians into stardom, including Mélanie Laurent, Marion Cotillard and François Damiens.
2.) Le gamin au vélo (The Kid With A Bike)
It would be impossible in such a list not to include the Dardenne brothers, a filmmaking duo born in Liège. Having begun making narrative and documentary films in the late 1970s, the brothers give us with every movie a vignette of people at the fringes of Belgian society – immigrants, abandoned children, the chronically unemployed. Le gamin au vélo (2011) follows a young boy, who has been left by his father in foster care. In a random act of kindness, the town hairdresser agrees to foster him on weekends. Other great Dardenne brother films include 1999's Rosetta and 2005's L'enfant, both Palme d'Or winners. The brothers' new film, Deux jours, une nuit, is in cinemas now.
3.) De helaasheid der dingen (The Misfortunates)
The Misfortunates is a 2009 film directed by Felix Van Groeningen based on a popular Belgian (and largely autobiographical) book De helaasheid der dingen by Dimitri Verhulst. The movie takes off when the struggling writer Gunther discovers that his girlfriend is pregnant and reflects back on his youth. In the fictional Flemish village Reetveerdegem, Gunther grew up with his loving grandmother, both of them suffering under Gunther's alcoholic father and a bevy of uncles, who fill their days drinking, smoking and chasing women. The film illustrates both the love and despair that exists in Flanders’ less affluent corners.
4.) Any Way the Wind Blows
The one and only feature film by Tom Barman, front man of the famous Belgian music group dEUS, Any way the Wind Blows (2003) is a snapshot of eight very different Antwerp locals all wanting something more from life. The star-crossed eight are brought together at the same early summer feestje (party). The film’s script and soundtrack is 100% the work of Barman and is as a result a reflection of his own personality: raw, flashy and a bit disjointed. A cult classic, particularly among the Antwerpenaren (Antwerp locals).
5.) Brussels By Night
Max (François Beukelaers), a middle aged man devoid of purpose or passion, drowns his sorrows in the dank bars and brooding alleyways of Brussels. Things start to look up after meeting and befriending a group of like-minded individuals on one of his wanderings. Over time, however, tensions build and relationships flare to a catastrophic climax. With neon 1980s Brussels as a backdrop, the wonderfully grainy cinematography capturing the nation's capital complements the atmosphere of the film. A wonderful slice of Belgian culture, Brussels By Night is a hidden gem in the dark.
6.) La vie sexuelle des Belges 1950-1978 (The Sex Life of the Belgians
This 1994 film is a striking satire on Belgian provincialism and is therefore still quite hilarious today. The eccentric Jan Bucquoy directs and plays the protagonist Jean Henri Compère, who narrates his sexual history up to the age of 28 in wacky and vivid detail. The line between autobiography and fiction are lost in Bucquoy’s dry humour, but that’s exactly what makes this kooky snapshot of Belgian life a must see.
7.) C’est arrivé près de chez vous (Man Bites Dog)
This film from 1992 may not show a typical man’s life in Belgium, but it is what many consider a movie masterpiece that ignited Belgian cinema in 1992 as well as kicked off Benoit Poelvoorde’s all-star career. Man Bites Dog is a darkly comic mockumentary that follows a film crew as they shadow deranged serial killer Ben (Benoit Poelvoorde) for a piece they are producing. They fall deeper into the assassin’s dark, mad abyss, and by the end lines between right and wrong are no where near the black and white in which the film was shot. Add the fact that C'est arrivé was made on a shoestring budget by four students, and its an immediate Belgian classic.
8.) De zaak Alzheimer (The Alzheimer Case)
2003 marks another demonstration of Belgium's fascination with mass murderers. The Alzheimer Case zooms in on Angelo Ledda (prolific Belgian actor Jan Decleir), a retired hit man persuaded to take one last job despite recently being diagnosed with Alzheimer's. The failed assassination turns quickly into a revenge plot in spite of his worsening condition and enemies around every corner. How the hit man achieves justice is a simple stroke of genius by director Erik Van Looy and theJef Geeraerts novel upon which the movie is based.
9. Loft
It’s official: Belgians are slightly obsessed with a good murder story. The most successful Flemish film ever at the local box office, Loft (2008) begins with five Flemish friends who acquire an apartment as a meeting point for their marital affairs. But when the corpse of a woman turns up there, the friends are forced to delve into some hard truths. The movie is another hat's off to Erik Van Looy’s and features an all-star cast of Belgian actors, from Jan Decleir and Veerle Baetens to Koen De Bouw and Matthaias Schoenaerts. No wonder that Hollywood has produced a yet unreleased remake of the film and even called in Van Looy to direct. But see the Belgian original first.
10. The Broken Circle Breakdown
It would be just plain wrong to forget Belgian director Felix Van Groeningen’s 2012 masterpiece: The Broken Circle Breakdown. Based on a theatrical piece with the same name by actors Johan Heldenbergh and Mieke Dobbels, the film adaption received much international recognition, including an academy award nomination. The film follows Elise (Veerle Baetens) and Didier (Heldenbergh), two very different people who fall in love at first sight, sharing a common passion for a Bohemian lifestume and bluegrass music. The couple’s love is put to the test, however, when their daughter becomes seriously ill. While the film is not for the lighthearted, the acting and the soundtrack is simply a treat. The best news is that the film’s musical group is still playing in Belgium under the name Broken Circle Breakdown Bluegrass Band: they will be playing, among other gigs, at Ezperanzah this year.
Photos courtesy of IMDB.
