Poetic, understated and deeply affecting Belgian drama – The Hollywood Reporter

Lyo Gon and Stefan Gota in “Here”

Provided by Cinema Guild

Alone in his Brussels apartment at dusk, Stefan, a kind-hearted Romanian construction worker, says a few words as if trying on a suit for size. “This is my home,” he says, unconvinced. Stephane Gotha’s calm, graceful performance makes the character’s lonely pain feel fully felt without being able to pinpoint it. There are sleepless nights, long walks, bowls of homemade soup, and silent, heartfelt conversations with acquaintances and people you just met. And then there’s the visual dialogue that frames Stefan’s story, the interplay of windblown greenery and sharp angles of urban skyscrapers.

here This is writer and director Bas DeVos’ fourth feature film ( violet, Hell hole and ghost tropic), was named best film in the Berlin Encounter category and won American honors at the New York Film Festival. This is a film of modest proportions and quiet grandeur, spun by summer light and grounded in an unyielding depth.

Working in 4:3 format, Devos and cinematographer Grimm Vandekerkhof capture Stefan’s wanderings, encounters, and the tender spark that ignites between him and a Chinese-Belgian PhD student who focuses on moss. , in carefully composed tranquil yet captivating scenes. It is full of vitality.

in a skillful and involved manner. here It takes a while for the main characters to come into focus, starting with Stefan and his fellow construction workers, who build friendships over a long period of competition with each other, and then all prepare to return to their home countries for the holidays.

Stefan hinted that he might stay longer in Romania, hinting that he might stay there forever and that the next few days of vacation could blossom into meandering walks through familiar cities. There’s also a sense of starting with emptying the fridge, taking inventory, and finishing up any loose ends. Stefan makes beautiful soups from the vegetables he forages there, which he divides into containers and serves to his friends. His first one he brings to hotel worker Cedric (Cedric Rubuezo), who warms up a potion and shares it, talks about his fatherhood, and hears Stefan’s news that his childhood friend is in prison.

Stefan’s sister, Anka (Alina Konstantin), a nurse, takes a particular interest in the development of her hometown, and listens to Stefan’s stories over a mug of vegetable concoction when she visits during his night shift. Although her concern for her single, insomniac brother is sincere, she sometimes cannot completely avoid her disdain. Their humorous exchange perfectly encapsulates how much is left unsaid and what is missing in the bond between brothers.

There is a sharp sense of hope in Stefan’s interactions and solitude as he struts around town in unfashionable shorts. At the community garden, he inquires about a mysterious seed that fell into his jacket pocket, and there he has a brief heart-to-heart with a woman he meets. And on a rainy night, at a small Chinese restaurant run by ShuHuan (ShuHuan Wang), he enthusiastically makes small talk with his girlfriend ShuXiu (Liyo Gong, curious and introspective), the owner’s niece. I will do

But before Stefan could first take an interest in her, DeVos introduced Shusiu to her work as a bryologist collecting, studying, and cataloging mosses, and in a voiceover, she described her near-nightmare dreams. She lost her ability to give her name to everyday objects and dreamed of a world where her language was suddenly out of reach. “Then I got up and made myself a cup of coffee,” she says, drawing on the film’s hysterical appraisal of her life’s curveballs and challenges.

When their paths cross again, Stefan is walking the long way to the mechanic shop where his car is being prepared for the trip to Romania, and Shusiu is busy collecting and studying moss specimens. Her field work fascinates him. He is drawn into a world of unknown beauty that is easy to miss if you are not looking for it.

Vande Kerkhove’s camerawork is acutely attuned to the synchronic aspects of the story, in the minute patterns that ShuXiu provides Stefan, and in the way the two almost strangers are enveloped in the park’s lush understory. blooms without warning throughout the film. nature and science. spirit and emotions. mechanics and magic. The delicate tones of Brecht Ameel’s music and the sound of Boris Debackere’s designs complete the everyday space world.

by the end hereStefan unearths something enchanting on one of his late-night walks, and even more memorable during an al fresco lunch (his soup was the main course) with a Romanian mechanic working on his car. shared a conversation about death.

The owner, Mr. Mihaly, declared the vehicle a “worn-out wreck” with great sympathy. He is played by the extraordinary actor Theodor Corbin (12:08 East of Bucharest, Afelim!), the film is dedicated to him, who passed away in January. That this is Corban’s final film appearance makes his character’s philosophical observations on aging all the more poignant. But they cut deep no matter what. Noting his growing list of things he will never do, Mihai declares that he has recently had a defibrillator implanted and that “time disappears” under general anesthesia.

Leave it to the caring Stefan. Stefan is wise beyond his years and understands the overwhelming complexity of the old man’s experience, although it may take him a lifetime to realize it. “They touched your heart,” Stefan says. “That’s a big deal.”

The same goes for Devos’ massive yet miraculously weightless features. Face the shocking and precious wonders of life head-on. But while it touches the heart and knocks you in the side affectionately, there’s nothing precious about it.