"No parking in the red zone!" Ha ha. Samuel Goldwyn Films has revealed an official US trailer for an action movie from Belgium (in the Dutch language) titled Hazard, also stylized as H4Z4RD during its original premiere. This first opened in 2022 in Belgium, and hit the genre festivals in late 2023 playing at Fantastic Fest, FrightFest, and Sitges last year. It's hard to describe: Noah really loves his girlfriend, his daughter, and his car, but he gets involved in a deadly driving job that will result in either losing his life, his family or his beloved car. It's a car movie, and an action movie, rolled into one - and the title comes from the guy's name, Noah Hazard - starring superstar DJ Dimitri 'Vegas' Thivaios. The cast also includes Jeroen Perceval, Jennifer Heylen, Mila Rooms, Frank Lammers, Monic Hendrickx, Tom Vermeir, Emilie De Roo, and Gene Bervoets. Looks like it...
- 4/23/2024
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Jonas Govaerts unleashes his second directorial feature, "H4Z4RD," almost a decade after 2014's obscenely undervalued "Cub." He's been busy as a prolific music video director — roughy 20 or so credits between releases — which speaks to the breakneck style of auto-thriller "H4Z4RD." Conceptually, it mimics "Wheelman," as the camera stays within our protagonist's pimped-out whip, with the 2000s action-destruction zaniness of "Crank" with some of "Titane" and "Cujo" thrown in for good measure. It's combustibly chaotic, high-octane, and someone's stripped the narrative brakes too. Whether that's at an advantage or detriment will be made clear for audiences relatively early into Govaerts' car-crunching cinema.
Dimitri 'Vegas' Thivaios — yes, the famous Belgian-Greek DJ — stars as Noah Hazard, a world-class driver who loves his daughter Zita (Mila Rooms), his girlfriend Leah (Jennifer Heylen), and most importantly, his super-fly roadster. Cinematography pours over the immaculately cleaned car's interior, from squeaky leather seats...
Dimitri 'Vegas' Thivaios — yes, the famous Belgian-Greek DJ — stars as Noah Hazard, a world-class driver who loves his daughter Zita (Mila Rooms), his girlfriend Leah (Jennifer Heylen), and most importantly, his super-fly roadster. Cinematography pours over the immaculately cleaned car's interior, from squeaky leather seats...
- 9/29/2022
- by Matt Donato
- Slash Film
Screenwriter Trent Haaga (Cheap Thrills, Deadgirl) teams up with director Jonas Govaerts (Cub) to put the pedal to the metal in their gonzo action thriller H4Z4RD. A simple day in the life of a driver and his beloved car quickly spirals out of control, taking viewers on an entertaining and violent thrill ride through the streets of Antwerp. H4Z4RD massively delivers on high-octane thrills, laughs, and more than a few shocking moments.
Driver Noah Hazard (European DJ Dimitri ‘Vegas’ Thivaios) takes immaculate care of his prized Lexus, dipped in gold and adorned with a H4Z4RD vanity plate. Noah keeps it pristine; he enforces strict passenger rules to keep it clean. As he drops off girlfriend Lea Lea (Jennifer Heylen) and young daughter Zita (Mila Rooms), with promises to pick up Zita from school by 3:30, Noah sets off to fulfill a favor for his...
Driver Noah Hazard (European DJ Dimitri ‘Vegas’ Thivaios) takes immaculate care of his prized Lexus, dipped in gold and adorned with a H4Z4RD vanity plate. Noah keeps it pristine; he enforces strict passenger rules to keep it clean. As he drops off girlfriend Lea Lea (Jennifer Heylen) and young daughter Zita (Mila Rooms), with promises to pick up Zita from school by 3:30, Noah sets off to fulfill a favor for his...
- 9/28/2022
- by Meagan Navarro
- bloody-disgusting.com
Aptly titled for the vanity plate on what is essentially its main character – a shiny new tricked-out Lexus – H4Z4RD has a lot of talent behind the camera. Scripted by Cheap Thrills and 68 Kill’s Trent Haaga, there’s a madcap energy to the writing that’s hard to find in more mainstream genre fare, and with Cub’s Jonas Govaerts on directing duties, it’s a gorgeous, slick-looking journey to take too. Albeit one that sadly never quite seems to equate to the sum of its wickedly ambitious parts.
Electronic music star Dimitri ‘Vegas’ Thivaios makes his leading-man debut as Noah, a former getaway driver turned family man who finds himself dragged back into Antwerp’s seedy underbelly by his fresh-out-of-prison cousin Carlos (Jeroen Perceval). Naturally, there’s a drug heist on the cards, followed by a shootout, followed by Noah’s young daughter being ruthlessly kidnapped by some very bad people,...
Electronic music star Dimitri ‘Vegas’ Thivaios makes his leading-man debut as Noah, a former getaway driver turned family man who finds himself dragged back into Antwerp’s seedy underbelly by his fresh-out-of-prison cousin Carlos (Jeroen Perceval). Naturally, there’s a drug heist on the cards, followed by a shootout, followed by Noah’s young daughter being ruthlessly kidnapped by some very bad people,...
- 9/1/2022
- by Ben Robins
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
HBO has rights to the film for central Europe.
Dealer, the debut feature from Belgian actor Jeroen Perceval, which won 10 prizes at this year’s De Ensors Belgian film awards, has sealed some key distribution deals for Austrian sales outfit Fizz-e-Motion.
The film has sold to central Europe (HBO) and Latin America (Encripta), plus a VOD deal for Taiwan (Sky Digi Entertainment).
Having been nominated in 14 categories, Dealer picked up 10 prizes at De Ensors on Saturday, March 12. Categories it won included best film, best director, best supporting actor and the public award.
Dealer follows a 14-year-old drug dealer in a young person’s care home,...
Dealer, the debut feature from Belgian actor Jeroen Perceval, which won 10 prizes at this year’s De Ensors Belgian film awards, has sealed some key distribution deals for Austrian sales outfit Fizz-e-Motion.
The film has sold to central Europe (HBO) and Latin America (Encripta), plus a VOD deal for Taiwan (Sky Digi Entertainment).
Having been nominated in 14 categories, Dealer picked up 10 prizes at De Ensors on Saturday, March 12. Categories it won included best film, best director, best supporting actor and the public award.
Dealer follows a 14-year-old drug dealer in a young person’s care home,...
- 3/17/2022
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
French sales company will show first trailer for drama about rise and fall of infamous Antwerp mega-club.
Paris-based Indie Sales will launch sales on Belgian director Robin Pront’s thriller Zillion, inspired by the rise and fall of the legendary Antwerp club of the same name, at next week’s online European Film Market.
Running from 1997 to 2002, the venue was the brainchild of the controversial tech entrepreneur and dance music lover Frank Verstraeten. It was one of the first mega-clubs that sprang up in Benelux in the late 1990s and drew clubbers from across the region and beyond until it closed under a cloud.
Paris-based Indie Sales will launch sales on Belgian director Robin Pront’s thriller Zillion, inspired by the rise and fall of the legendary Antwerp club of the same name, at next week’s online European Film Market.
Running from 1997 to 2002, the venue was the brainchild of the controversial tech entrepreneur and dance music lover Frank Verstraeten. It was one of the first mega-clubs that sprang up in Benelux in the late 1990s and drew clubbers from across the region and beyond until it closed under a cloud.
- 2/2/2022
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- ScreenDaily
A total of 46 films and 27 series will be showcased at the online-only event.
Lukas Dhont’s second feature Close and Olga Lucovnicova’s Last Letters From My Grandma are among the 46 feature and 27 series projects to be showcased at Re>Connext, the annual showcase for films and TV series made in Flanders and Brussels, Belgium.
Close is filmmaker Dhont’s follow-up to Girl, which won the Camera d’Or following its premiere in Un Certain Regard at Cannes in 2018. Last year, the project was pitched at Re>Connext under the title The Invisible.
For this edition, drama Close returns as a work in progress,...
Lukas Dhont’s second feature Close and Olga Lucovnicova’s Last Letters From My Grandma are among the 46 feature and 27 series projects to be showcased at Re>Connext, the annual showcase for films and TV series made in Flanders and Brussels, Belgium.
Close is filmmaker Dhont’s follow-up to Girl, which won the Camera d’Or following its premiere in Un Certain Regard at Cannes in 2018. Last year, the project was pitched at Re>Connext under the title The Invisible.
For this edition, drama Close returns as a work in progress,...
- 9/27/2021
- by Mona Tabbara
- ScreenDaily
Exclusive: Carey Fitzgerald’s Silver Mountain Productions has boarded world sales, excluding Benelux, on Fair Trade, the crime series from Marc Punt’s Independent Productions.
This is the second time the two companies have teamed up, following the people trafficking drama series Matrioshki, which sold worldwide.
Fair Trade stars Kevin Janssens (Missing Persons Unit), and Ella-June Herard (Torpedo) as corrupt cops Robin De Rover and Walter Wilson. They are supported by Peter Van den Begin (Matrioshki) and Jeroen Perceval (The Ardennes) as the drug barons and gang leaders and the Ukraine’s Kseniya Mishina (Naked Truth).
The 8×60 series is produced for Vtm/Streamz and has already been commissioned for a second series, which will air in 2022.
This is the second time the two companies have teamed up, following the people trafficking drama series Matrioshki, which sold worldwide.
Fair Trade stars Kevin Janssens (Missing Persons Unit), and Ella-June Herard (Torpedo) as corrupt cops Robin De Rover and Walter Wilson. They are supported by Peter Van den Begin (Matrioshki) and Jeroen Perceval (The Ardennes) as the drug barons and gang leaders and the Ukraine’s Kseniya Mishina (Naked Truth).
The 8×60 series is produced for Vtm/Streamz and has already been commissioned for a second series, which will air in 2022.
- 7/21/2021
- by Tom Grater
- Deadline Film + TV
The East Trailer — Jim Taihuttu‘s The East / De Oost (2020) movie trailer has been released by Magnolia Pictures and Magnolia Releasing. The East trailer stars Martijn Lakemeyer, Marwan Kenzari, Jonas Smulders, Coen Bril, Jeroen Perceval, Huub Smit, David Wristers, Robert de Hoog, and Reinout Bussemaker. Crew Mustafa Duygulu and Jim Taihuttu wrote the [...]
Continue reading: The East (2020) Movie Trailer: A Soldier in an Elite Unit during Post-WW2 Begins Questioning His Brutal Captain...
Continue reading: The East (2020) Movie Trailer: A Soldier in an Elite Unit during Post-WW2 Begins Questioning His Brutal Captain...
- 7/17/2021
- by Rollo Tomasi
- Film-Book
Dimitri “Vegas” Thivaios, one-half of hugely popular electronic dance music duo Dimitri Vegas and Like Mike, has landed his first lead role in a feature film, “H4Z4RD.” Billed as an action comedy, “H4Z4RD” is the second film from Belgian director, Jonas Govaerts, whose debut feature, the horror flick “Cub,” premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival.
Thivaios temporarily broke Instagram when he filmed himself cutting off his signature locks for the role. The haircut, soundtracked by his first solo single, “Pull Me Closer,” has logged over half a million views.
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Dimitri “Vegas” Thivaios (@dimitrivegas)
The Belgian/Greek Thivaios has made a few appearances on the big and small screen in recent years, including on “Jurassic World 3: Dominion” and “Rambo: Last Blood.” “H4Z4RD,” which takes place in Antwerp, in Thivaios’ home country of Belgium, takes...
Thivaios temporarily broke Instagram when he filmed himself cutting off his signature locks for the role. The haircut, soundtracked by his first solo single, “Pull Me Closer,” has logged over half a million views.
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Dimitri “Vegas” Thivaios (@dimitrivegas)
The Belgian/Greek Thivaios has made a few appearances on the big and small screen in recent years, including on “Jurassic World 3: Dominion” and “Rambo: Last Blood.” “H4Z4RD,” which takes place in Antwerp, in Thivaios’ home country of Belgium, takes...
- 5/24/2021
- by Lily Moayeri
- Variety Film + TV
Cash injection aims to increase production of Flemish content.
The Flemish government has greenlit a €20m ($24m) screen fund, which aims to boost production in the Belgian region impacted by the ongoing pandemic.
The Flemish Resilience recovery plan will see financial support spread across 2021 and 2022, and will be awarded to successful applicants by the Flanders Audiovisual Fund (Vaf).
Half of the cash will go to the Vaf Film Fund, with €8.9m invested in film production, €1m in audience activities (comprising exhibition and promotion) and €100,000 put into talent development.
In addition, the Vaf Media Fund will allocate €8.9m to TV production and €100,000 for talent development,...
The Flemish government has greenlit a €20m ($24m) screen fund, which aims to boost production in the Belgian region impacted by the ongoing pandemic.
The Flemish Resilience recovery plan will see financial support spread across 2021 and 2022, and will be awarded to successful applicants by the Flanders Audiovisual Fund (Vaf).
Half of the cash will go to the Vaf Film Fund, with €8.9m invested in film production, €1m in audience activities (comprising exhibition and promotion) and €100,000 put into talent development.
In addition, the Vaf Media Fund will allocate €8.9m to TV production and €100,000 for talent development,...
- 4/7/2021
- by Michael Rosser
- ScreenDaily
Twenty participants from 13 European countries selected for scheme organised by the Erich Pommer Institut.
A new career enhancement programme for female producers in the European drama series sector has revealed its first cohort of 20 participants.
The inaugural edition of the Series’ Women edition, organised by the Erich Pommer Institut (Epi), includes producers from 13 European countries and will foster access to industry markets, support the building of professional networks and offer access to top industry experts as mentors to take the producers’ careers to the next level.
Among those selected are Belgium’s Sarah Marks, a producer on Tim Mielants’ comedy-drama...
A new career enhancement programme for female producers in the European drama series sector has revealed its first cohort of 20 participants.
The inaugural edition of the Series’ Women edition, organised by the Erich Pommer Institut (Epi), includes producers from 13 European countries and will foster access to industry markets, support the building of professional networks and offer access to top industry experts as mentors to take the producers’ careers to the next level.
Among those selected are Belgium’s Sarah Marks, a producer on Tim Mielants’ comedy-drama...
- 3/22/2021
- by Michael Rosser
- ScreenDaily
Jeroen Perceval reveals what happened when an actor tested positive for coronavirus.
Screen can reveal a first-look image of Veerle Baetens in Dealer, the feature directorial debut of Belgian actor Jeroen Perceval, which completed shooting in Antwerp during the coronavirus pandemic.
Perceval, best known for his performances in Bullhead, Borgman and The Ardennes, also wrote the feature, which centres on a 14-year-old drug dealer (Sverre Rous) who forms a bond with a successful actor (Ben Segers). Baetens plays the mother of the young dealer.
Perceval began shooting the drama in Antwerp earlier this year with an initial plan to release this month.
Screen can reveal a first-look image of Veerle Baetens in Dealer, the feature directorial debut of Belgian actor Jeroen Perceval, which completed shooting in Antwerp during the coronavirus pandemic.
Perceval, best known for his performances in Bullhead, Borgman and The Ardennes, also wrote the feature, which centres on a 14-year-old drug dealer (Sverre Rous) who forms a bond with a successful actor (Ben Segers). Baetens plays the mother of the young dealer.
Perceval began shooting the drama in Antwerp earlier this year with an initial plan to release this month.
- 10/2/2020
- by Michael Rosser
- ScreenDaily
Collection of shorts was filmed with Covid-19 safety measures in place by directors including Michael R Roskam (‘Bullhead’).
A collection of films shot during lockdown with a cast that includes Matthias Schoenaerts is to be presented at Re>Connext (Oct 5-31), the annual film and TV showcase run by Flanders Image.
A first look at The Lockdown Shorts, which spans drama, comedy, thriller and horror, will be presented as a works in progress project at the virtual event by producer-directors Gilles Coulier and Maarten Moerkerke.
All 12 films were shot under coronavirus-safe conditions on the same studio set: a prison visiting...
A collection of films shot during lockdown with a cast that includes Matthias Schoenaerts is to be presented at Re>Connext (Oct 5-31), the annual film and TV showcase run by Flanders Image.
A first look at The Lockdown Shorts, which spans drama, comedy, thriller and horror, will be presented as a works in progress project at the virtual event by producer-directors Gilles Coulier and Maarten Moerkerke.
All 12 films were shot under coronavirus-safe conditions on the same studio set: a prison visiting...
- 9/29/2020
- by Michael Rosser
- ScreenDaily
New films from Vincent Bal, Koen Mortier and Caroline Strubbe among 47 films at virtual showcase.
A new drama from Cannes award-winner Lukas Dhont (Girl) and a film produced in lockdown by Milo Rau are among 47 projects to be showcased at Re>Connext, the annual film and TV showcase run by Flanders Image.
The event, which serves as an export platform for film and TV drama made in Flanders, will run online from October 5-31 after the physical showcase was cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Usually taking place over three days under the banner Connext, the virtual edition has been...
A new drama from Cannes award-winner Lukas Dhont (Girl) and a film produced in lockdown by Milo Rau are among 47 projects to be showcased at Re>Connext, the annual film and TV showcase run by Flanders Image.
The event, which serves as an export platform for film and TV drama made in Flanders, will run online from October 5-31 after the physical showcase was cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Usually taking place over three days under the banner Connext, the virtual edition has been...
- 9/15/2020
- by Michael Rosser
- ScreenDaily
"He wanted to destroy the kingdom I've been building my whole life." Film Movement has released the Us trailer for a Polish historical epic titled Sword of God, which originally premiered at a Polish film festival in 2018. It also played at Cinepocalypse, and the Fantastic Film Festival Australia last year. Directed by Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Bartosz Konopka, this genre-bending historical epic has been hailed as a "stunning showcase of experiential horror." Two men in the early Middle Ages come to a pagan land: one to bring Christianity, the other to find his way of living. They choose two different ways of reaching the pagans. In the fight between dialogue and force, one of them will die. This stars Krzysztof Pieczynski, Karol Bernacki, Wiktoria Gorodecka, Jacek Koman, Jan Bijvoet, and Jeroen Perceval. It looks crazy violent and intense as all hell, perhaps a taste of what things were really like back in the middle ages.
- 4/24/2020
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Documentaries and dramas impressed industry professionals at the Ghent event.
Flanders Image’s CONNeXT event in Ghent showcased documentary films for the first time, some of which impressed industry professionals even more than the usual fiction projects.
Pieter Jan De Pue’s Four Brothers, about four Ukrainian siblings torn apart by war, won the work-in-progress award.
The international jury praised how “the story ambitions and scope of the project leaves an undeniable impression…how war can tear apart even the tightest of bonds.”
Bart Van Langendonck of leading Belgian production company Savage Film produces. The project previously won the Cph:Dox Eurimges Co-Production Award.
Flanders Image’s CONNeXT event in Ghent showcased documentary films for the first time, some of which impressed industry professionals even more than the usual fiction projects.
Pieter Jan De Pue’s Four Brothers, about four Ukrainian siblings torn apart by war, won the work-in-progress award.
The international jury praised how “the story ambitions and scope of the project leaves an undeniable impression…how war can tear apart even the tightest of bonds.”
Bart Van Langendonck of leading Belgian production company Savage Film produces. The project previously won the Cph:Dox Eurimges Co-Production Award.
- 10/9/2019
- by 1100142¦Wendy Mitchell¦0¦
- ScreenDaily
-
Flanders Image’s CONNeXT event in Ghent showcased documentary films for the first time, some of which impressed industry professionals even more than the usual fiction projects.
Pieter Jan De Pue’s Four Brothers, about four Ukrainian siblings torn apart by war, won the work-in-progress award.
The international jury praised how “the story ambitions and scope of the project leaves an undeniable impression…how war can tear apart even the tightest of bonds.”
Bart Van Langendonck of leading Belgian production company Savage Film produces. The project previously won the Cph:Dox Eurimges Co-Production Award.
Another doc, Janet van den Brand...
Flanders Image’s CONNeXT event in Ghent showcased documentary films for the first time, some of which impressed industry professionals even more than the usual fiction projects.
Pieter Jan De Pue’s Four Brothers, about four Ukrainian siblings torn apart by war, won the work-in-progress award.
The international jury praised how “the story ambitions and scope of the project leaves an undeniable impression…how war can tear apart even the tightest of bonds.”
Bart Van Langendonck of leading Belgian production company Savage Film produces. The project previously won the Cph:Dox Eurimges Co-Production Award.
Another doc, Janet van den Brand...
- 10/9/2019
- by 1100142¦Wendy Mitchell¦0¦
- ScreenDaily
As far as Coen brothers wannabes go, Robin Pront’s feature debut – The Ardennes – does fine to cut desolate Belgian poverty with tense, character-driven grime. Is it perfect? Hardly – the film hurdles towards inevitability like a junker with cut brakes. Does Pront establish a brotherly conflict birthed from love-triangle consequences? Oddly enough yes, even with all the drag queen, cocaine and pancake breakfasts thrown in. Yes. Drag queen, cocaine and pancake breakfasts – be entertained by some crazy Belgian bastards whose criminal pasts make for deathly complicated futures. Hope you like your Eurotrash with a side of bass-thumping techno and an infinite supply of cold beers…
Kevin Janssens and Jeroen Perceval star as two outlaw brothers, Kenny (Janssens) and Dave (Perceval), who live a sinful life – until Kenny gets pinched during an unfortunate home invasion. While Kenny serves four years hard time, Dave decides to clean up his act and quits drinking.
Kevin Janssens and Jeroen Perceval star as two outlaw brothers, Kenny (Janssens) and Dave (Perceval), who live a sinful life – until Kenny gets pinched during an unfortunate home invasion. While Kenny serves four years hard time, Dave decides to clean up his act and quits drinking.
- 1/6/2017
- by Matt Donato
- We Got This Covered
At a glance, it would be easy to mistake The Ardennes for a documentary about the Dardennes, Belgium’s most celebrated filmmakers. The enormous Ardennes forest is mostly located in Belgium (and Luxembourg), and is very likely the origin of brothers Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne’s surname—indeed, this film’s original title is D’Ardennen. What’s more, The Ardennes features two brothers as its protagonists. There, however, all similarities end. Rather than a moral and spiritual inquiry, this routine crime drama merely offers yet another riff on the Mean Streets dynamic, as a thoughtful crook’s efforts to reform are forever undermined by his attachment—fraternal, in this case—to an emotionally volatile loser. First-time director Robin Pront serves up plenty of brooding atmosphere, but the screenplay, adapted from a stage play by Pront and Jeroen Perceval (who also plays the sensible Harvey Keitel role), never succeeds in...
- 1/5/2017
- by Mike D'Angelo
- avclub.com
Welcome back to the first Weekend Warrior of 2017, your weekly look at the new movies hitting theaters this weekend, as well as other cool events and things to check out (when applicable).
We’ll bypass the past couple holiday weekends cause that was so 2016, and we’ll instead get right into the new movies opening on Friday including two that opened in select cities and are expanding nationwide.
Underworld: Blood Wars (Sony/Screen Gems)
Cast: Kate Beckinsale, Theo James, Tobias Menzies, Lara Pulver, Charles Dance, James Faulkner, Peter Andersson, Clementine Nicholson, Bradley James, Daisy Head
Director: Anna Foerster (debut feature from director of TV shows Outlander & Criminal Minds)
Genre: Action, Horror, Thriller
Rated R
Plot: The vampire death dealer Selene (Kate Beckinsale) finds herself facing both Lycans and vampires, both of them trying to use the blood of her daughter to create new hybrids, so she and David (Theo James...
We’ll bypass the past couple holiday weekends cause that was so 2016, and we’ll instead get right into the new movies opening on Friday including two that opened in select cities and are expanding nationwide.
Underworld: Blood Wars (Sony/Screen Gems)
Cast: Kate Beckinsale, Theo James, Tobias Menzies, Lara Pulver, Charles Dance, James Faulkner, Peter Andersson, Clementine Nicholson, Bradley James, Daisy Head
Director: Anna Foerster (debut feature from director of TV shows Outlander & Criminal Minds)
Genre: Action, Horror, Thriller
Rated R
Plot: The vampire death dealer Selene (Kate Beckinsale) finds herself facing both Lycans and vampires, both of them trying to use the blood of her daughter to create new hybrids, so she and David (Theo James...
- 1/4/2017
- by Edward Douglas
- LRMonline.com
Robin Pront’s debut feature about a family of criminals in Belgium is full of bold storytelling and striking visuals
From the opening shot of a panic-stricken Dave (Jeroen Perceval) emerging from a swimming pool, his face squished into a pair of tights, to a phone conversation that takes place inside a sunbed, to a knife fight in a carwash, first-time director Robin Pront displays a knack for visually arresting, strikingly cinematic images. This Belgian criminal-family parable is shot in a desolate palette of frostbitten greys and blues, with the backdrop of the kind of steroidal techno that sounds more like a hammer attack than music. This is storytelling as lean and unpredictable as a fighting dog; it’s one of the strongest first features I have seen this year.
Continue reading...
From the opening shot of a panic-stricken Dave (Jeroen Perceval) emerging from a swimming pool, his face squished into a pair of tights, to a phone conversation that takes place inside a sunbed, to a knife fight in a carwash, first-time director Robin Pront displays a knack for visually arresting, strikingly cinematic images. This Belgian criminal-family parable is shot in a desolate palette of frostbitten greys and blues, with the backdrop of the kind of steroidal techno that sounds more like a hammer attack than music. This is storytelling as lean and unpredictable as a fighting dog; it’s one of the strongest first features I have seen this year.
Continue reading...
- 12/11/2016
- by Wendy Ide
- The Guardian - Film News
Two brothers, Ken (Kevin Janssens) and Dave (Jeroen Perceval), fail at a brutal home invasion. One of them manages to escape, while the other is incarcerated. Four years later Ken is released from prison, and much has changed. Dave no longer indulges in the drug-fuelled, criminal lifestyle that saw Ken go into prison for, and […]
The post The Ardennes Review appeared first on HeyUGuys.
The post The Ardennes Review appeared first on HeyUGuys.
- 12/9/2016
- by Matthew Lee
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
This tale of familial crime and punishment starts promisingly, but lurches off in various unconvincing directions and badly loses its way
First-time Belgian feature director Robin Pront starts out with what looks like an absorbing family crime drama. Kenny (Kevin Janssens) is an angry, abusive guy who gets out of prison after four years for robbery; his brother Dave (Jeroen Perceval), who did the job with him but managed to get away from the crime scene, can’t bear to confess that he has been having an affair with his girlfriend, Sylvie (Veerle Baetens) while he was inside. Morose Kenny broods about their happy childhood holidays in the Ardennes, but then they have to visit this remote region when, halfway through, the film takes a sudden, meaningless lurch into crazy Belgian-gothic territory – a sudden stab at Tarantino/Coens black comedy that the movie has done nothing to earn. There’s...
First-time Belgian feature director Robin Pront starts out with what looks like an absorbing family crime drama. Kenny (Kevin Janssens) is an angry, abusive guy who gets out of prison after four years for robbery; his brother Dave (Jeroen Perceval), who did the job with him but managed to get away from the crime scene, can’t bear to confess that he has been having an affair with his girlfriend, Sylvie (Veerle Baetens) while he was inside. Morose Kenny broods about their happy childhood holidays in the Ardennes, but then they have to visit this remote region when, halfway through, the film takes a sudden, meaningless lurch into crazy Belgian-gothic territory – a sudden stab at Tarantino/Coens black comedy that the movie has done nothing to earn. There’s...
- 12/8/2016
- by Peter Bradshaw
- The Guardian - Film News
“Things have changed since you went inside.”
In Robin Pront’s crime thriller “The Ardennes,” a pair of brothers are torn apart by their chosen profession (criminally bent, naturally), their shared obsession with one woman and the good old “one last job” trope that so often derails cinema’s greatest masterminds. Picking up after brother Kenneth’s (Kevin Janssens) four-year stint in the clink for a home invasion gone almost comically wrong, Pront’s film is as much about how things change for one family as they stay stultifyingly the same.
Read More: Belgium’s Best Foreign Oscar Pick Is ‘The Ardennes,’ Not the Dardennes
Brothers Dave (Jeroen Perceval) and Kenny have always shared everything, but it’s Kenny who takes the fall when one of their signature criminal endeavors goes awry. When he’s finally released from prison, he’s forced to confront some hard truths, like that his...
In Robin Pront’s crime thriller “The Ardennes,” a pair of brothers are torn apart by their chosen profession (criminally bent, naturally), their shared obsession with one woman and the good old “one last job” trope that so often derails cinema’s greatest masterminds. Picking up after brother Kenneth’s (Kevin Janssens) four-year stint in the clink for a home invasion gone almost comically wrong, Pront’s film is as much about how things change for one family as they stay stultifyingly the same.
Read More: Belgium’s Best Foreign Oscar Pick Is ‘The Ardennes,’ Not the Dardennes
Brothers Dave (Jeroen Perceval) and Kenny have always shared everything, but it’s Kenny who takes the fall when one of their signature criminal endeavors goes awry. When he’s finally released from prison, he’s forced to confront some hard truths, like that his...
- 10/21/2016
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
Robin Pront’s drama is up for 10 Ensor Awards this year.
Belgium has selected Robin Pront’s featuer film debut The Ardennes as its Best Foreign-Language Film submission for this year’s Academy Awards.
The feature is based on a brutal robbery which goes dreadfully wrong. When one of the robbers escapes, he leaves his brother behind to be caught by the police.
Veerle Baetens (The Broken Circle Breakdown) leads an ensemble cast that also includes Jeroen Perceval (Bullhead) and Kevin Janssens (Madonna’s Pig).
The Ardennes, which received its world premiere at last year’s Toronto International Film Festival as part of the Discovery programme, was announced last week on the longlist for the European Film Awards.
The film also clocked up 10 nominations for this year’s Ensor Awards - the Flemish cinema awards - which will be presented in Ostend, Belgium on September 16.
Star Perceval co-wrote the screenplay with Robin Pront. Bart Van Langendonck (Bullhead...
Belgium has selected Robin Pront’s featuer film debut The Ardennes as its Best Foreign-Language Film submission for this year’s Academy Awards.
The feature is based on a brutal robbery which goes dreadfully wrong. When one of the robbers escapes, he leaves his brother behind to be caught by the police.
Veerle Baetens (The Broken Circle Breakdown) leads an ensemble cast that also includes Jeroen Perceval (Bullhead) and Kevin Janssens (Madonna’s Pig).
The Ardennes, which received its world premiere at last year’s Toronto International Film Festival as part of the Discovery programme, was announced last week on the longlist for the European Film Awards.
The film also clocked up 10 nominations for this year’s Ensor Awards - the Flemish cinema awards - which will be presented in Ostend, Belgium on September 16.
Star Perceval co-wrote the screenplay with Robin Pront. Bart Van Langendonck (Bullhead...
- 9/1/2016
- ScreenDaily
Yet again, Belgium has passed over the latest film from Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne, “The Unknown Girl,” which played in competition at Cannes and will screen at the upcoming Toronto International Film Festival. Instead, Belgium is submitting rookie director Robin Pront’s “The Ardennes,” a robbery-gone-wrong thriller that debuted at last year’s Tiff in the Discovery program and has been nominated for 10 Ensor Awards (September 16). It also made the shortlist for the European Film Awards.
The last Dardenne brothers film to be submitted by Belgium, “Two Days, One Night,” was not nominated (although Marion Cotillard did earn a Best Actress nomination); nor were submissions “Rosetta,” “The Son,” or “The Child.” (Many believe that if Belgium had selected the Dardennes’ more accessible Golden-Globe-nominated “Kid with a Bike,” it would have landed a final-five slot.)
In “The Ardennes,” a brutal robbery goes wrong. One of two thieves escapes, leaving his brother behind.
The last Dardenne brothers film to be submitted by Belgium, “Two Days, One Night,” was not nominated (although Marion Cotillard did earn a Best Actress nomination); nor were submissions “Rosetta,” “The Son,” or “The Child.” (Many believe that if Belgium had selected the Dardennes’ more accessible Golden-Globe-nominated “Kid with a Bike,” it would have landed a final-five slot.)
In “The Ardennes,” a brutal robbery goes wrong. One of two thieves escapes, leaving his brother behind.
- 8/30/2016
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
Yet again, Belgium has passed over the latest film from Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne, “The Unknown Girl,” which played in competition at Cannes and will screen at the upcoming Toronto International Film Festival. Instead, Belgium is submitting rookie director Robin Pront’s “The Ardennes,” a robbery-gone-wrong thriller that debuted at last year’s Tiff in the Discovery program and has been nominated for 10 Ensor Awards (September 16). It also made the shortlist for the European Film Awards.
The last Dardenne brothers film to be submitted by Belgium, “Two Days, One Night,” was not nominated (although Marion Cotillard did earn a Best Actress nomination); nor were submissions “Rosetta,” “The Son,” or “The Child.” (Many believe that if Belgium had selected the Dardennes’ more accessible Golden-Globe-nominated “Kid with a Bike,” it would have landed a final-five slot.)
In “The Ardennes,” a brutal robbery goes wrong. One of two thieves escapes, leaving his brother behind.
The last Dardenne brothers film to be submitted by Belgium, “Two Days, One Night,” was not nominated (although Marion Cotillard did earn a Best Actress nomination); nor were submissions “Rosetta,” “The Son,” or “The Child.” (Many believe that if Belgium had selected the Dardennes’ more accessible Golden-Globe-nominated “Kid with a Bike,” it would have landed a final-five slot.)
In “The Ardennes,” a brutal robbery goes wrong. One of two thieves escapes, leaving his brother behind.
- 8/30/2016
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
Watch: Exclusive 'The Ardennes' Clip is a Sinister Trip to the Country You Won't Forget Italian distributor Satine Films has acquired "The Ardennes," the debut film from Flemish director Robin Pront, ahead of its world premiere at Tiff. From what we've seen so far, the film is a grim and stylish retelling of the Cain and Abel story, in which one brother's insistence on living a life of drugs and crime after being released from prison clashes with the other brother's attempts at living a reformed life. "The Ardennes" was produced by Bart Van Langendonck (who produced the Academy Award nominated "Bullhead") and written by Pront and Jeroen Perceval, who also stars in the film. Like "Bullhead," the film is stylistically dark but crisp and artfully shot, creating an atmosphere as macabre as it is beautiful. Attraction Distribution, the film's worldwide sales agent, has stated that they expect distributors in other major territories to acquire.
- 9/14/2015
- by Wil Barlow
- Indiewire
Robin Pront's debut feature film The Ardennes is all set to have its world premiere here in Toronto Monday night as part of the Discovery program at Tiff. TwitchFilm has an exclusive clip of the first two minutes from his film to share with you. I have attached the trailer below as well so you can get a feel for Pront's take on the Cain and Abel story. The Ardennes is the story of two brothers - Dave (Jeroen Perceval) and Kenneth (Kevin Janssens) - who are reunited on Kenneth's release after four years in prison following a botched home invasion. Much has changed in the interim. While Kenneth is anxious to dive headfirst into the drug-centred existence that ensnared him in the first place, both Dave...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
- 9/14/2015
- Screen Anarchy
Ushered forth as the Netherlands’ submission for Best Foreign Language Film this year, Alex van Warmerdam’s hilarious Borgman may prove to be a bit too offbeat for the mainstream tastes of the Academy, at least if judging by its business at the Us box office bears any indication. Arriving on blu-ray from Drafthouse Films, word of mouth may continue to bolster its growing reputation, selected by a number of critics as a standout title for the first half of 2014. Whatever the case, it’s granted considerable attention to the underrated Dutch director whose next little bit of weirdness should arrive next year.
Alex van Warmerdam’s Borgman has to be the steadily working director’s most accomplished work to date. Known mostly for his droll, sometimes perverse films dealing with families or communities tested by strange situations that range anywhere from a maintained weirdness to potential violence, his latest...
Alex van Warmerdam’s Borgman has to be the steadily working director’s most accomplished work to date. Known mostly for his droll, sometimes perverse films dealing with families or communities tested by strange situations that range anywhere from a maintained weirdness to potential violence, his latest...
- 9/16/2014
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
Borgman (review here) is a film we've been talking about for quite a while, and finally next month it's hitting Blu-ray/DVD courtesy of Drafthouse Films. We have all the info you need right here!
Borgman Release Details:
Drafthouse Films is releasing Alex van Warmerdam's creepy and surreal thriller Borgman on Blu-ray/DVD and Digital HD on Tuesday, September 9, 2014. Borgman will be distributed on home video at an Srp of $29.93 for Blu-ray and $24.99 for DVD.
The NY Times Critics' Pick will feature three deleted scenes in addition to reversible Mondo art and a 28-page booklet featuring cast and crew interviews and more.
Jan Bijvoet, Hadewych Minis, Jeroen Perceval, Sara Hjort Ditlevsen, Eva van de Wijdeven, Annet Malherbe, and Tom Dewispelaere star.
Synopsis:
Borgman, a dark suburban fable that explores the nature of evil in unexpected places, follows an enigmatic vagrant who enters the lives of an upper-class family and...
Borgman Release Details:
Drafthouse Films is releasing Alex van Warmerdam's creepy and surreal thriller Borgman on Blu-ray/DVD and Digital HD on Tuesday, September 9, 2014. Borgman will be distributed on home video at an Srp of $29.93 for Blu-ray and $24.99 for DVD.
The NY Times Critics' Pick will feature three deleted scenes in addition to reversible Mondo art and a 28-page booklet featuring cast and crew interviews and more.
Jan Bijvoet, Hadewych Minis, Jeroen Perceval, Sara Hjort Ditlevsen, Eva van de Wijdeven, Annet Malherbe, and Tom Dewispelaere star.
Synopsis:
Borgman, a dark suburban fable that explores the nature of evil in unexpected places, follows an enigmatic vagrant who enters the lives of an upper-class family and...
- 8/22/2014
- by Debi Moore
- DreadCentral.com
Borgman
Written and directed by Alex van Warmerdam
Netherlands/Belgium/Denmark, 2013
An odd and malevolent spell is cast over complacent suburban life in Dutch filmmaker Alex van Warmerdam’s latest. Borgman is a home invasion thriller about a bearded vagrant who takes on the mold of evil incarnate, with plans of invoking pitiless ruin upon a family of five who find themselves embedded in his cross-hairs. With a descriptor like ‘home invasion thriller,’ one might instantly refer to images of forced entry and stock brutality; the subversion and style seen here is the opposite, however, as the film develops slowly with its own signature and literal brand of poison and decay which spill out with mixed results. With its opening upside-down title card which quickly shapes itself into legibility, Borgman almost immediately announces itself as an unforgiving and lopsided affair. An ominous quote reading, “And they descended upon the earth to strengthen their ranks,...
Written and directed by Alex van Warmerdam
Netherlands/Belgium/Denmark, 2013
An odd and malevolent spell is cast over complacent suburban life in Dutch filmmaker Alex van Warmerdam’s latest. Borgman is a home invasion thriller about a bearded vagrant who takes on the mold of evil incarnate, with plans of invoking pitiless ruin upon a family of five who find themselves embedded in his cross-hairs. With a descriptor like ‘home invasion thriller,’ one might instantly refer to images of forced entry and stock brutality; the subversion and style seen here is the opposite, however, as the film develops slowly with its own signature and literal brand of poison and decay which spill out with mixed results. With its opening upside-down title card which quickly shapes itself into legibility, Borgman almost immediately announces itself as an unforgiving and lopsided affair. An ominous quote reading, “And they descended upon the earth to strengthen their ranks,...
- 7/9/2014
- by Ty Landis
- SoundOnSight
Borgman, The Netherlands' Submission for the Academy Award Nomination for Best Foreign Language Film. U.S. :Drafthouse Films. International Sales Agent: Fortissimo Films
Occasionally in the vast spectrum of cinema, one gets to witness a peculiar dark vision, which innovates the horror or suspense genres, a story that refuses to abide by any standards of normalcy or political correctness. These rare works dare to explore the uncomfortable wickedness of the human condition with uncompromising audacity. While difficult to classify, they leave an indelible and haunting impression.
Unavoidably, some rely unsuccessfully on explicitly brutal images rendering the piece lurid. It is perhaps those works that create a subtle tense atmosphere grounded on the quotidian that truly penetrate the psyche. After all, there is nothing more terrifying than to know evil lures in the seemingly mundane and that everyone is a plausible victim. Taking advantage of such unsettling distress, Alex van Warmerdam’s Borgman is a film that corrodes the viewer’s perception of morality with masterful skill and insane originality.
Literally unearthed by a trio of executioners led by a priest, a dark character Camiel Borgman (Jan Bijvoet), and his followers must abandoned their subterranean caves in the forest like demons expelled from hell. Demanding they wait for his instructions, Borgman leaves his disciples behind and goes on the prowl. Disguised as a common disheveled vagabond he walks through affluent neighborhoods knocking on doors to request permission to take a bath. His unusual but apparently innocent plea is denied. He knows that a friendly appeal to people’s generosity won’t work, so he changes his approach. When hotheaded T.V. producer Richard (Jeroen Perceval) answers the door and opposes to let him into his home, Borgman claims to know his wife Marina (Hadewych Minis). Instantly infuriated Richard gives him a beating leaving the man visibly injured. Rapidly, this inciting incident escalates into an unpredictably deranged narrative.
Remorseful and ashamed for her husband’s behavior Marina lets Borgman take a bath in her opulent house. She feeds him and allows him to sleep in the summerhouse on the outskirts of the enormous property without Richard knowing. Easily manipulating the woman into letting him stay longer, Borgman hides in plain sight and carries himself with an otherworldly confidence. He sneaks into her children’s’ bedroom to tell them stories about a mysterious boy, and he observes Marina and Richard as they sleep, apparently polluting their dreams with violent imagery.
What begins as an act of kindness from Marina’s part develops into something much more sinister as she becomes her more fervent devotee. She is in love with this alluring stranger as if hypnotized into submission. Borgman’s agenda begins unfolding when he kills the family’s gardener to take his place and brings his equally depraved minions to join in the fun. Bodies floating at the bottom of a nearby lake, children undergoing unexplained surgical procedures, and a meticulously heartless demeanor to carry it all out, are all part of Borgman’s messianic plan.
With an unnerving calmness, Belgian actor Jan Bijvoet plays the disturbing fake prophet of evil superbly. Borgman’s composure and unscrupulous practicality as he orchestrates such heinous acts are bafflingly gripping. There is no way to foresee what his twisted logic has in store, as he never shows signs of irrationality. Bijvoet’s contained performance is incredibly powerful because it is indecipherable and full of dreadful certainty.
No outbursts of madness or overly gruesome sequences are required. Everything that evokes fear resides in this charming man whose motives are unclear, yet harrowingly intriguing. His subdued magnetism obliterates Marina’s consciousness. Played with marvelous fragility by Hadewych Minis, she turns into the perfect vehicle to ravage this family and strengthen his ranks, as the opening quote warns.
Avoiding the clichéd preconception that implies terrible things only happen at night, the story takes place almost entirely during the day and it's shot with pleasant brightness. The clan’s presumably flawless methods enable them to diligently carry out their despicable tasks unafraid of any consequences. Alex van Warmerdam, who is also in the film as Ludwig, Borgman’s most efficient assistant, crafted a tale with a fascinatingly strange tone, but with and evident focus on the nature of control.
Deceptive at first, the film might come across as darkly comedic or satirical, but this reaction is clearly one’s attempt to comprehend how viciousness can be enacted with such restraint. Make no mistake, Borgman is a morbid study that pushes the boundaries and examines human’s predisposition for violent behavior. Raising more questions than for which it provides answers, the film revels in the psychological implications of the horrifying occurrences. Unique and directed with uncanny precision, this is a work of absolute diabolic brilliance by an unquestionable visionary.
"Borgman" opens in Los Angeles on June 20th, at the Landmark Nuart Theater...
Occasionally in the vast spectrum of cinema, one gets to witness a peculiar dark vision, which innovates the horror or suspense genres, a story that refuses to abide by any standards of normalcy or political correctness. These rare works dare to explore the uncomfortable wickedness of the human condition with uncompromising audacity. While difficult to classify, they leave an indelible and haunting impression.
Unavoidably, some rely unsuccessfully on explicitly brutal images rendering the piece lurid. It is perhaps those works that create a subtle tense atmosphere grounded on the quotidian that truly penetrate the psyche. After all, there is nothing more terrifying than to know evil lures in the seemingly mundane and that everyone is a plausible victim. Taking advantage of such unsettling distress, Alex van Warmerdam’s Borgman is a film that corrodes the viewer’s perception of morality with masterful skill and insane originality.
Literally unearthed by a trio of executioners led by a priest, a dark character Camiel Borgman (Jan Bijvoet), and his followers must abandoned their subterranean caves in the forest like demons expelled from hell. Demanding they wait for his instructions, Borgman leaves his disciples behind and goes on the prowl. Disguised as a common disheveled vagabond he walks through affluent neighborhoods knocking on doors to request permission to take a bath. His unusual but apparently innocent plea is denied. He knows that a friendly appeal to people’s generosity won’t work, so he changes his approach. When hotheaded T.V. producer Richard (Jeroen Perceval) answers the door and opposes to let him into his home, Borgman claims to know his wife Marina (Hadewych Minis). Instantly infuriated Richard gives him a beating leaving the man visibly injured. Rapidly, this inciting incident escalates into an unpredictably deranged narrative.
Remorseful and ashamed for her husband’s behavior Marina lets Borgman take a bath in her opulent house. She feeds him and allows him to sleep in the summerhouse on the outskirts of the enormous property without Richard knowing. Easily manipulating the woman into letting him stay longer, Borgman hides in plain sight and carries himself with an otherworldly confidence. He sneaks into her children’s’ bedroom to tell them stories about a mysterious boy, and he observes Marina and Richard as they sleep, apparently polluting their dreams with violent imagery.
What begins as an act of kindness from Marina’s part develops into something much more sinister as she becomes her more fervent devotee. She is in love with this alluring stranger as if hypnotized into submission. Borgman’s agenda begins unfolding when he kills the family’s gardener to take his place and brings his equally depraved minions to join in the fun. Bodies floating at the bottom of a nearby lake, children undergoing unexplained surgical procedures, and a meticulously heartless demeanor to carry it all out, are all part of Borgman’s messianic plan.
With an unnerving calmness, Belgian actor Jan Bijvoet plays the disturbing fake prophet of evil superbly. Borgman’s composure and unscrupulous practicality as he orchestrates such heinous acts are bafflingly gripping. There is no way to foresee what his twisted logic has in store, as he never shows signs of irrationality. Bijvoet’s contained performance is incredibly powerful because it is indecipherable and full of dreadful certainty.
No outbursts of madness or overly gruesome sequences are required. Everything that evokes fear resides in this charming man whose motives are unclear, yet harrowingly intriguing. His subdued magnetism obliterates Marina’s consciousness. Played with marvelous fragility by Hadewych Minis, she turns into the perfect vehicle to ravage this family and strengthen his ranks, as the opening quote warns.
Avoiding the clichéd preconception that implies terrible things only happen at night, the story takes place almost entirely during the day and it's shot with pleasant brightness. The clan’s presumably flawless methods enable them to diligently carry out their despicable tasks unafraid of any consequences. Alex van Warmerdam, who is also in the film as Ludwig, Borgman’s most efficient assistant, crafted a tale with a fascinatingly strange tone, but with and evident focus on the nature of control.
Deceptive at first, the film might come across as darkly comedic or satirical, but this reaction is clearly one’s attempt to comprehend how viciousness can be enacted with such restraint. Make no mistake, Borgman is a morbid study that pushes the boundaries and examines human’s predisposition for violent behavior. Raising more questions than for which it provides answers, the film revels in the psychological implications of the horrifying occurrences. Unique and directed with uncanny precision, this is a work of absolute diabolic brilliance by an unquestionable visionary.
"Borgman" opens in Los Angeles on June 20th, at the Landmark Nuart Theater...
- 6/20/2014
- by Carlos Aguilar
- Sydney's Buzz
White Child Above the Clouds: Warmerdam’s Dark Classist Comedy a Winner
Alex van Warmerdam’s Borgman has to be the steadily working director’s most accomplished work to date. Known mostly for his droll, sometimes perverse films dealing with families or communities tested by strange situations that range anywhere from a maintained weirdness to potential violence, his latest treat is poised to broaden his appeal to a larger audience. His 1992 film, The Northerners, perhaps his most celebrated film, deals with a group of people living in a 1960’s housing development, while 2003’s Grimm is an off kilter retelling of Hansel and Gretel. Warmerdam’s latest, which also seems to have roots in the fairy tale parable, plays like the strange, neglected cousin to a host of other considerable cinematic references, and yet, it’s a delectable concoction all its own. Incredibly, often wickedly funny, it’s filled with memorable moments,...
Alex van Warmerdam’s Borgman has to be the steadily working director’s most accomplished work to date. Known mostly for his droll, sometimes perverse films dealing with families or communities tested by strange situations that range anywhere from a maintained weirdness to potential violence, his latest treat is poised to broaden his appeal to a larger audience. His 1992 film, The Northerners, perhaps his most celebrated film, deals with a group of people living in a 1960’s housing development, while 2003’s Grimm is an off kilter retelling of Hansel and Gretel. Warmerdam’s latest, which also seems to have roots in the fairy tale parable, plays like the strange, neglected cousin to a host of other considerable cinematic references, and yet, it’s a delectable concoction all its own. Incredibly, often wickedly funny, it’s filled with memorable moments,...
- 6/13/2014
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
As our very own Matt Donato can attest, Borgman is a supremely eerie and engrossing psychological horror flick, heightened by director Alex Van Warmerdam’s unflinching direction and some fine performances. And though the film might not be playing near you quite yet, that doesn’t mean you can’t get an extended look at Borgman right now.
Today, we have an exclusive clip from the movie to share with you, one that quickly establishes the film’s striking appearance and horrifically sinister tone. Be warned, the clip, titled “Scalpel,” is deeply unnerving and, while not overtly graphic, it certainly sent a chill down my spine. Check it out below:
Please enable Javascript to watch this video
How creepy was that? Despite being served in a Tasmanian Devil mug, nothing seems right about mysterious men taking children underground and serving them some type of drink while medical equipment is being...
Today, we have an exclusive clip from the movie to share with you, one that quickly establishes the film’s striking appearance and horrifically sinister tone. Be warned, the clip, titled “Scalpel,” is deeply unnerving and, while not overtly graphic, it certainly sent a chill down my spine. Check it out below:
Please enable Javascript to watch this video
How creepy was that? Despite being served in a Tasmanian Devil mug, nothing seems right about mysterious men taking children underground and serving them some type of drink while medical equipment is being...
- 6/10/2014
- by Isaac Feldberg
- We Got This Covered
If Michael Haneke hadn’t taken it already, a similarly ironic name that director Alex van Warmerdam could have used for his cleverly haunting new film Borgman could very well have been “Funny Games.” Appropriately enough, van Warmerdam’s film plays out its twisted, fable-like narrative—about a peculiar vagrant who gradually manipulates his way into the otherwise orderly lives of an upper class Dutch family—as if it were a less overt or sadistic Haneke film, one whose trickery stays squarely within the realm of the film itself and doesn’t chide the audience for bearing witness to the dark and strange tale unraveling before them. If name-dropping European auteurs isn’t your thing, then how about this: Borgman’s weirdo realist fairy tale is likely to leave a lot of people scratching their heads, but those who get caught up in the film’s devious schemes are in...
- 6/6/2014
- by Sean Hutchinson
- LRMonline.com
After a sleepy few weekends at the specialty box office, a quintet of new films aim to shake things up, not least among them a duo of Sundance favorites -- HBO Films' "The Case Against 8" and A24's "Obvious Child" -- that seem like the most, uh, obvious contenders for some big weekend per-theater-averages. Though Mike Myers' directorial debut "Supermensch" is definitely also one to look out for... Here's our predictions: Borgman (Drafthouse) Director: Alex van Warmerdam Cast: Jan Bijvoet, Hadewych Minis, Jeroen Perceval, Alex van Warmerdam Criticwire Average: 18 critics gave it a B average Where It's Screening: At the IFC Center and Lincoln Plaza in New York. Box Office Expectation: This Dutch import about a vagrant who enters the lives of an arrogant upper-class family screened at Cannes last year to strong reviews, eventually being selected as the Netherlands' foreign language Oscar contender (it didn't make...
- 6/6/2014
- by Peter Knegt
- Indiewire
Editor’s note: Our review of Borgman originally ran during last year’s Cannes Film Festival, but we’re re-running it now as the film opens in limited release. Alex van Warmerdam‘s Borgman is the first Dutch film to play In Competition at Cannes in just shy of 40 years, and with its daring, deeply dark yet also rib-ticklingly amusing subject matter it unquestionably proves the country’s cinematic worthiness. Early reviews emerging from the Croisette have already compared the film to both Yorgos Lanthimos’s Dogtooth, and the more severe works of Michael Haneke, two touchstones that absolutely hit the mark. Borgman is absolutely a film best approached with only a cursory knowledge of its plot — not that van Warmerdam gives much away himself. The opening images show a disheveled middle-aged man, Borgman (Jan Bijvoet), being disturbed while sleeping in an underground compartment, at which point he flees and knocks on the door of married couple...
- 6/6/2014
- by Shaun Munro
- FilmSchoolRejects.com
The more I see of Borgman (review), the more interested I become in seeing more, and today we've got our hands on a whole lot more than we've ever seen in the past.
Ahead of tomorrow's limited theatrical release, check out the entire first five minutes of the flick, which are sure to have you itching for more!
Click here for Borgman theatre listings!
Jan Bijvoet, Hadewych Minis, Jeroen Perceval, Sara Hjort Ditlevsen, Eva van de Wijdeven, Annet Malherbe, and Tom Dewispelaere star.
Synopsis
A dark suburban fable exploring the nature of evil in unexpected places, Borgman follows an enigmatic vagrant who enters the lives of an upper-class family and quickly unravels their carefully curated lifestyle. Charming and mysterious, Camiel Borgman seems almost otherworldly, and it isn't long before he has the wife, children and nanny under his spell in a calculated bid to take over their home life. However,...
Ahead of tomorrow's limited theatrical release, check out the entire first five minutes of the flick, which are sure to have you itching for more!
Click here for Borgman theatre listings!
Jan Bijvoet, Hadewych Minis, Jeroen Perceval, Sara Hjort Ditlevsen, Eva van de Wijdeven, Annet Malherbe, and Tom Dewispelaere star.
Synopsis
A dark suburban fable exploring the nature of evil in unexpected places, Borgman follows an enigmatic vagrant who enters the lives of an upper-class family and quickly unravels their carefully curated lifestyle. Charming and mysterious, Camiel Borgman seems almost otherworldly, and it isn't long before he has the wife, children and nanny under his spell in a calculated bid to take over their home life. However,...
- 6/5/2014
- by John Squires
- DreadCentral.com
If you want an unnerving, truly disturbing cinematic experience, be sure to check out Borgman, from Dutch helmer Alex van Warmerdam. It’s a scary, eerie, darkly humorous flick filled with questions about identity and the true nature of evil, and it’s sure to stick in your head for long after you leave the theater.
Now, you can check out a new clip from the film, in which the title character (played creepily by Jan Bijvoet) innocently requests a bath in the home of an upper class family, but soon grows more taunting as he baits the houseowner (Jeroen Perceval) with the claim that he knew his wife Marina (Hadewych Minis) when she was a nurse by the name of Maria.
The clip comes courtesy of The Playlist over at Indiewire. Check it out below:
Our own Matt Donato just recently reviewed the film (and you can check out...
Now, you can check out a new clip from the film, in which the title character (played creepily by Jan Bijvoet) innocently requests a bath in the home of an upper class family, but soon grows more taunting as he baits the houseowner (Jeroen Perceval) with the claim that he knew his wife Marina (Hadewych Minis) when she was a nurse by the name of Maria.
The clip comes courtesy of The Playlist over at Indiewire. Check it out below:
Our own Matt Donato just recently reviewed the film (and you can check out...
- 6/2/2014
- by Isaac Feldberg
- We Got This Covered
Dutch filmmaker Alex van Warmerdam has done something amazing with his 2013 Cannes hit Borgman – he’s struck me almost completely silent. Assembling a cautionary tale of true evil’s many charismatic forms, no 2014 watch has personally unearthed such conflicting reactions thus far, and this is coming from a horror lover who adores filmmakers who can sneakily establish a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Borgman represents broody, unnerving filmmaking, that fact remains undeniable, but does Warmerdam’s haunting suburban nightmare possess enough sense to remain watchable? As Van Warmerdam expresses a darker, more dangerous Michel Gondry style, Borgman becomes something of an art-house horror film aided by perception, not understanding – a strong stylistic choice, but one that might thin out hordes of viewers.
Jan Bijvoet plays the enigmatic vagrant Camiel Borgman, a homeless man forced from his underground community by men with shotguns and other weapons. We don’t know why...
Jan Bijvoet plays the enigmatic vagrant Camiel Borgman, a homeless man forced from his underground community by men with shotguns and other weapons. We don’t know why...
- 6/2/2014
- by Matt Donato
- We Got This Covered
We're one week away from the theatrical release of Alex van Warmerdam's highly intriguing looking flick Borgman (review), which Drafthouse Films unloads on June 6th. In the meantime, check out a highly disturbing new clip from the film, which takes body disposal to a whole new level!
Click here for Borgman theatre listings!
Jan Bijvoet, Hadewych Minis, Jeroen Perceval, Sara Hjort Ditlevsen, Eva van de Wijdeven, Annet Malherbe, and Tom Dewispelaere star.
Synopsis
A dark suburban fable exploring the nature of evil in unexpected places, Borgman follows an enigmatic vagrant who enters the lives of an upper-class family and quickly unravels their carefully curated lifestyle. Charming and mysterious, Camiel Borgman seems almost otherworldly, and it isn't long before he has the wife, children and nanny under his spell in a calculated bid to take over their home life. However, his domestic assimilation takes a malevolent turn as his ultimate plan comes to bear,...
Click here for Borgman theatre listings!
Jan Bijvoet, Hadewych Minis, Jeroen Perceval, Sara Hjort Ditlevsen, Eva van de Wijdeven, Annet Malherbe, and Tom Dewispelaere star.
Synopsis
A dark suburban fable exploring the nature of evil in unexpected places, Borgman follows an enigmatic vagrant who enters the lives of an upper-class family and quickly unravels their carefully curated lifestyle. Charming and mysterious, Camiel Borgman seems almost otherworldly, and it isn't long before he has the wife, children and nanny under his spell in a calculated bid to take over their home life. However, his domestic assimilation takes a malevolent turn as his ultimate plan comes to bear,...
- 5/30/2014
- by John Squires
- DreadCentral.com
Strange, quirky, and uncanny, we should all be a little nervous about Drafthouse Films' creepy-ass looking "Borgman" because this film is sure to prove fruitful with its promises of frightening drama. Plus, it looks terrifying. Read More: Exclusive, Nightmarish Stills From Director Alex van Warmerdam's Creepy-Looking 'Borgman' The film tells the story of Borgman (Jan Bijvoet), a vagrant who invades the lives of a wealthy, upper-middle-class family and begins to quickly unravel their curated lifestyles. While Borgman attempts to ruin the family's home and assimilate into their domestic ways, a malevolent turn takes place as the protagonist's ultimate plan comes to fruition. As seen in the film's newly released clip, appropriately titled "Bucketheads," there's clearly something to be said about the film's treatment of genre. "Borgman" was written and directed by Alexander van Warmerdam with an eclectic cast of Jan Bijvoet, Haewych Minis, Jeroen Perceval, Sara Hjort Ditlevsen,...
- 5/30/2014
- by Anthony Whyde
- Indiewire
Wondering if you're gonna be one of the lucky ones who can check out Alex van Warmerdam’s Borgman in theatres? A June 6th release date has been given to the flick, and you can find out right here if it will be playing at a movie house near you!
Click here for Borgman theatre listings!
Jan Bijvoet, Hadewych Minis, Jeroen Perceval, Sara Hjort Ditlevsen, Eva van de Wijdeven, Annet Malherbe, and Tom Dewispelaere star.
Synopsis
Borgman is the central character in Alex van Warmerdam’s dark, malevolent fable. Is he a dream or a demon, a twisted allegory or an all-too-real embodiment of our fears? Borgman is a sinister arrival in the sealed-off streets of modern suburbia. His presence unleashes a crowing gallery of distortion around the careful facade constructed by an arrogant, comfortable couple, their three children, and nanny.
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Click here for Borgman theatre listings!
Jan Bijvoet, Hadewych Minis, Jeroen Perceval, Sara Hjort Ditlevsen, Eva van de Wijdeven, Annet Malherbe, and Tom Dewispelaere star.
Synopsis
Borgman is the central character in Alex van Warmerdam’s dark, malevolent fable. Is he a dream or a demon, a twisted allegory or an all-too-real embodiment of our fears? Borgman is a sinister arrival in the sealed-off streets of modern suburbia. His presence unleashes a crowing gallery of distortion around the careful facade constructed by an arrogant, comfortable couple, their three children, and nanny.
Visit The Evilshop @ Amazon!
Got news? Click here to submit it!
- 5/8/2014
- by Steve Barton
- DreadCentral.com
Borgman is a difficult film to categorize, let alone explain exactly what happened once the credits roll. Just when it’s starting to make sense something changes and everything you thought you had figured out transforms. Utilizing several dramatic and horror genre characteristics, Alex van Warmerdam makes this occasionally confused film into a flowing mix of sinister, mystical, comical, and metaphorical content.
A priest leads a manhunt into the forest carrying sharpened and loaded weaponry. The men arrive at an indiscriminate location and the priest gives them a signal to start digging. Underneath the forest floor is a cavern, home to a disheveled bearded man named Borgman (Jan Bijvoet) who barely escapes and relocates into a high-end suburb. After sustaining a vicious beating at the hands of homeowner named Richard (Jeroen Perceval), Borgman manipulates his way into the lives of the man’s family and carefully introduces mayhem into their lives.
A priest leads a manhunt into the forest carrying sharpened and loaded weaponry. The men arrive at an indiscriminate location and the priest gives them a signal to start digging. Underneath the forest floor is a cavern, home to a disheveled bearded man named Borgman (Jan Bijvoet) who barely escapes and relocates into a high-end suburb. After sustaining a vicious beating at the hands of homeowner named Richard (Jeroen Perceval), Borgman manipulates his way into the lives of the man’s family and carefully introduces mayhem into their lives.
- 5/7/2014
- by Monte Yazzie
- DailyDead
Borgman Trailer. Alex van Warmerdam‘s Borgman (2013) movie trailer stars Alex van Warmerdam, Jan Bijvoet, Hadewych Minis, Jeroen Perceval, and Sara Hjort Ditlevsen. Borgman‘s plot synopsis: “A dark suburban fable exploring the nature of evil in unexpected places, Borgman follows an enigmatic vagrant who enters the lives of an upper-class [...]
Continue reading: Borgman (2013) Movie Trailer: Alex van Warmerdam’s Exploration of Evil...
Continue reading: Borgman (2013) Movie Trailer: Alex van Warmerdam’s Exploration of Evil...
- 4/10/2014
- by Rollo Tomasi
- Film-Book
Yesterday we shared with you the creepy trailer for Alex van Warmerdam’s Borgman, which has proven itself to be a hit on the festival circuit. A June 6th release date has been given to the flick, and on tap for you today is an image gallery full of hairy male nudity. Sound good?! Then dig in!
Jan Bijvoet, Hadewych Minis, Jeroen Perceval, Sara Hjort Ditlevsen, Eva van de Wijdeven, Annet Malherbe, and Tom Dewispelaere star.
Synopsis
Borgman is the central character in Alex van Warmerdam’s dark, malevolent fable. Is he a dream or a demon, a twisted allegory or an all-too-real embodiment of our fears? Borgman is a sinister arrival in the sealed-off streets of modern suburbia. His presence unleashes a crowing gallery of distortion around the careful facade constructed by an arrogant, comfortable couple, their three children, and nanny.
Visit The Evilshop @ Amazon!
Got news? Click here to submit it!
Jan Bijvoet, Hadewych Minis, Jeroen Perceval, Sara Hjort Ditlevsen, Eva van de Wijdeven, Annet Malherbe, and Tom Dewispelaere star.
Synopsis
Borgman is the central character in Alex van Warmerdam’s dark, malevolent fable. Is he a dream or a demon, a twisted allegory or an all-too-real embodiment of our fears? Borgman is a sinister arrival in the sealed-off streets of modern suburbia. His presence unleashes a crowing gallery of distortion around the careful facade constructed by an arrogant, comfortable couple, their three children, and nanny.
Visit The Evilshop @ Amazon!
Got news? Click here to submit it!
- 4/9/2014
- by John Squires
- DreadCentral.com
More indie goodness is on its way in the form of Alex van Warmerdam’s Borgman, which enjoyed a very successful festival run at Tiff and more. A June 6th release date has been given to the flick, and right now we have your first look at the official trailer!
Jan Bijvoet, Hadewych Minis, Jeroen Perceval, Sara Hjort Ditlevsen, Eva van de Wijdeven, Annet Malherbe, and Tom Dewispelaere star.
Synopsis
Borgman is the central character in Alex van Warmerdam’s dark, malevolent fable. Is he a dream or a demon, a twisted allegory or an all-too-real embodiment of our fears? Borgman is a sinister arrival in the sealed-off streets of modern suburbia. His presence unleashes a crowing gallery of distortion around the careful façade constructed by an arrogant, comfortable couple, their three children, and nanny.
Visit The Evilshop @ Amazon!
Got news? Click here to submit it!
Subscribe to the Dread Central YouTube Channel!
Jan Bijvoet, Hadewych Minis, Jeroen Perceval, Sara Hjort Ditlevsen, Eva van de Wijdeven, Annet Malherbe, and Tom Dewispelaere star.
Synopsis
Borgman is the central character in Alex van Warmerdam’s dark, malevolent fable. Is he a dream or a demon, a twisted allegory or an all-too-real embodiment of our fears? Borgman is a sinister arrival in the sealed-off streets of modern suburbia. His presence unleashes a crowing gallery of distortion around the careful façade constructed by an arrogant, comfortable couple, their three children, and nanny.
Visit The Evilshop @ Amazon!
Got news? Click here to submit it!
Subscribe to the Dread Central YouTube Channel!
- 4/8/2014
- by Steve Barton
- DreadCentral.com
Over the past year, one movie has been building a bit of buzz thanks a continual presence on the festival circuit, premiering at Cannes, playing Tiff and hitting Fantastic Fest among the more notable of its many stops. We're talking about Alex van Warmerdam's "Borgman," and if you like your cinema weird and eerie, this one has you covered. Our Jessica Kiang—as you'll see in the trailer too—called this " 'Dogtooth' meets Michael Haneke," and those checkpoints are easy to see in this new U.S. trailer for the film. Starring Jan Bijvoet, Hadewych Minis, Jeroen Perceval, Sara Hjort Ditlevsen, Eva van de Wijdeven, Annet Malherbe, Tom Dewispelaere and the director himself, the story follows a vagrant who inserts himself into the lives of an upper class family, slowly turning their world upside down, until his true reasons for being there are revealed. This looks dark, twisted and...
- 4/8/2014
- by Kevin Jagernauth
- The Playlist
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