Flanders flounders at ZIFF

September 8, 2008 by Born Free ·
Filed under: Entertainment, Arts & Culture

Flanders poster

I can’t believe that this film has actually won two awards. This has to be one of the most poorly executed feature films I have ever watched.

In Flanders (or Flandres in French) a quiet farm hand, Demester (Samuel Boidin) who has difficulty expressing his feelings for his nymphomaniac girlfriend Barbe (Adélaïde Leroux), is sent off to war, but not before we- and he- witness her punishing him for his lack of emotion by sleeping with another man his car in broad daylight, outside a pub where she, Demester and two other friends were having a drink.

Picture this: Barbe and this guy have been eyeballing each other in the pub when she gets up and walks over to him, totally ignoring Demester and co. After exchanging a few words, they walk out to this guy’s car and start getting it on. When Demester and co come out, there they are in plain view, going at it.

Well, then Demester, Barbe’s new “boyfriend” Blondel (Henri Cretel) and some other men from their village are sent off to fight in what seems like a Middle Eastern country that is mostly desert. Here they perpetrate atrocious acts of rape and wanton murder, all portrayed by writer and director Bruno Dumont, with as little emotion as possible. It’s as if “these things just happen”.

Back home Barbe gets together with another of Demesters buddies, finds out that she is pregnant with Blondel’s baby (I have no idea how she knows it’s his) and then she goes mad from missing him and Demester. She gets treatment in a Psychiatric hospital and returns home seemingly ok.

When Demester returns home (Blondel is killed in the war) he finds Barbe thinks that he murdered Blondel, but later on confesses her love for him.

I struggled to get through this one. Definitely not a deserving candidate for any fim festival or the awards that it has won.

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