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Reviews
L'iceberg (2005)
Who said Belgian comedies were meant to be funny?
I will not bother with a plot description of L'Iceberg, since that has been done adequately by a previous reviewer. However, I must disagree with that same person's opinions about the film.
In short it is a very bleak and rather depressing type of comedy. The central character and her family lead a desperately empty existence, which is portrayed well by the bleak cinematography of Belgian suburbia and a dreary port town.
There is precious little dialogue and yet plenty of Belgian-style slapstick interaction between characters. The effect of the film is not uplifting, cheery or even diverting. I have watched many many French-language films - and unfortunately this was the worst I have ever seen.
You have been warned.
Private Property (2005)
A low budget film with moments of brilliance
The reviewer who has written the glowing report on this film is wildly exaggerating, and I can only assume that he/she is associated with the film in some sense.
The reason that the film was re-released in the UK in 2005 "Island of the Damned" is because the film was initially a flop, so the distributors tried to re-market the film as a horror movie. This is no horror movie, it's barely even a thriller.
It's slow to get going, and to be honest - it's slow all the way through. The director could have cut at least 20 minutes of the version that I saw (120mins). There are a couple of very good twists, and there is some good acting, particularly from the female lead. The camera work is sloppy in some parts, but elsewhere it's rather average. There are also a few plot inconsistencies and quite a lot of continuity errors.
However, the film does have an other-worldly feel to it in parts, which is more characteristic of European art-house cinema, which I applaud. I will not say anymore on the film, except to recommend it as something to watch when there really isn't much else on TV or in the video shop. Not a bad effort - but there are so many better films out there...
Qui a tué Bambi? (2003)
Trust me, I'm a doctor
A good thriller. At times it did feel like a made-for-TV film, but maybe that was due to the small cast and the constant hospital setting (both of which do give the film a claustrophobic feel).
Unfortunately I missed out on the Q&A session with the director who had attended an earlier showing at the Institut francais in London, otherwise I have nothing much else to add to the other comments posted here.
In short, a creepy film set in a hospital with a good enough cast - but nothing out-of-the-ordinary. One thing that I couldn't get out of my head though: all modern hospitals have CCTV cameras, which would have prevented the events in this film from taking place.
En attendant le déluge (2004)
"A film about everything and about nothing" - Damien Odoul (director)
I saw the UK premiere of this film at the Institut francais in London. The showing was followed by Q&A with the director Damien Odoul who also plays one of the main characters in the film, Yves. The film is set on the estate of an old French château in the countryside and centres around an old dying man (played by Pierre Richard) who invites a few actors to amuse him. The film deliberately lacks any real plot (it has been described as Beckett-esquire by one critic) but does end conclusively. The film will make you laugh - largely due to the weird and wonderful characters who do out-of-the-ordinary things, and you will certainly get a sense of satisfaction from watching it.
In the Q&A with the director, he said that his aim was to try and dig deep and try to touch the innocence which lays at the heart of life. His favourite character in the film is Pipo - played by a friend who in reality lives in a psychiatric hospital and is not an actor at all. He is someone with a "simple mind" who sees, listens and understands. The innocence and simplicity that Odoul alludes to is one "avant la naissance" (before birth), at the very root of existence.
An excellent film.