A deaf-mute man works as a forester. He likes to observe the nearby landscape closely, for instance as a source of inspiration for his drawings. One day, construction workers begin to erect an unusual stone-and-glass dwelling, meant for a painter and his wife. Gradually the forester grows obsessed with observing the couple, especially the wife, who is girlishly slim and pretty...
Even if you're familiar with the cinema of the Low Countries, it's unlikely you'll have heard much about "In Kluis", an unusual experimental movie of the kind generally described as "arthouse". However, the movie is well worth a watch, at least for those viewers who are both patient and willing to try something different.
"In Kluis" is told almost exclusively through the eyes of the forester protagonist. The man is a deaf-mute, which means that he can only see what's happening without hearing the accompanying pieces and snatches of dialogue ; for the most part, the viewers will find themselves in the same position. Consequently it's up to the viewers to fill in the blanks and try to make sense of the various threats, compliments, arguments, exclamations...
The movie treats various themes, such as loneliness, privacy, curiosity and voyeurism. It also points out that human beings possess a unique talent for finding and creating unhappiness even in the midst of the most enchanting bucolic beauty. (Just look at that huge fence being erected around the house - it seems to belong to a prison or even a concentration camp.)
The lovingly filmed setting is exquisite and the musical score by Koen De Bruyne is hypnotic.
Even if you're familiar with the cinema of the Low Countries, it's unlikely you'll have heard much about "In Kluis", an unusual experimental movie of the kind generally described as "arthouse". However, the movie is well worth a watch, at least for those viewers who are both patient and willing to try something different.
"In Kluis" is told almost exclusively through the eyes of the forester protagonist. The man is a deaf-mute, which means that he can only see what's happening without hearing the accompanying pieces and snatches of dialogue ; for the most part, the viewers will find themselves in the same position. Consequently it's up to the viewers to fill in the blanks and try to make sense of the various threats, compliments, arguments, exclamations...
The movie treats various themes, such as loneliness, privacy, curiosity and voyeurism. It also points out that human beings possess a unique talent for finding and creating unhappiness even in the midst of the most enchanting bucolic beauty. (Just look at that huge fence being erected around the house - it seems to belong to a prison or even a concentration camp.)
The lovingly filmed setting is exquisite and the musical score by Koen De Bruyne is hypnotic.
