Summary
In a village on the French Opal Coast, a drifter engages in a perplexing relationship with a young woman who has suffered abuse.
In a village on the French Opal Coast, a drifter engages in a perplexing relationship with a young woman who has suffered abuse.
Few film-makers are as divisive as Bruno Dumont (Flanders, Hadewijch) and his sixth feature will either confirm acclamations or reinforce prejudices about his highly challenging work. Once again making no narrative or stylistic concessions, Dumont descends on a hamlet in northern France, chronicling the unconventional relationship between a mysterious guy (David Dewaele) who survives on charitable handouts while wandering the beaches and marshland, and a goth girl (Alexandra Lemâtre) who seeks his advice in dealing with her abusive stepfather. But it remains unclear whether the man is an angel or a demon, as he commits murder, conducts a Brimstone and Treacle-type exorcism on a child and seduces a backpacker to the point of delirious ecstasy. Indeed, Dumont offers few clues as to the message (if any) he is striving to convey. But this approach forces viewers to engage with the consciously sketchy characters and Yves Cape's bleak imagery in order to derive their own meaning.
role | name |
---|---|
The Guy | David Dewaele |
The Girl | Alexandra Lemâtre |
Guard | Christophe Bon |
Kid | Juliette Bacquet |
Backpacker | Aurore Broutin |
Kid's mother | Sonia Barthelemy |
role | name |
---|---|
Director | Bruno Dumont |