Lemming first published by EyeforFilm, 28 April 2006 Mysterious migrations and collective suicides are the characteristics most closely associated (however spuriously) with lemmings. These small animals peculiar to Scandinavia’s northern regions are just about the last things you would expect to find in the suburbs of southern France, but when high-tech engineer Alain Getty (Laurent…
Following Calvaire (2004) and Alléluia (2014), Adoration is the third and final film in Fabrice du Welz‘s so-called Ardennes Trilogy, loosely unified by their Belgian backwoods setting, the religious associations of their titles, the presence of actor Laurent Lucas, and a shared theme of amour fou, Here the infatuated party is 12-year-old Paul (Thomas Gioria),…
In My Skin (Dans Ma Peau) first published by Movie Gazette Esther (Marina de Van) is a dedicated and successful research analyst, thinking about buying an apartment together with her boyfriend Vincent (Laurent Lucas). One night, bored at a party, Esther wanders out into the building site outside, where she trips and falls over. Returning…
Alléluia first published by Sight & Sound, October 2014 Review: “Did you see it? The pain in Bogart’s eyes… Exactly, you see nothing. Yet he was consumed by the crab. Cancer of the oesophagus. He never complained. Never a word about the mosquitoes, the heat, nothing. Absolute respect for Humphrey.” The speaker is Michel (Laurent…
Interview first published by Film4 Belgian writer/director Fabrice du Welz is associated with horror, but rarely follows the genre rules. His debut Calvaire (2004) is a darkly comic Christmas cracker about a young chanteur trapped in a strange all-male community in the Belgian backwoods, and his most recent film Alleluia (2014) relocates the true story…
Review first published by Film4 Descriptive synopsis: Fabrice du Welz follows up Calvaire and Vinyan with a tale of murderous lovers, drawn from a real-life story. Review: “I help people do something essential, find the shoe made for their foot.” The speaker is Michel (Laurent Lucas), a well-groomed charmer out on an internet date with…
Calvaire first published by EyeForFilm After winning the hearts of his adoring female audience at a nursing home, two-bit cabaret singer Marc (Laurent Lucas) is heading south for a Christmas gala when his van breaks down in the bleak backwoods of Belgium. There he is guided by dog-seeking local Boris (Jean-Luc Couchard) to the nearest…