Cannes 2006 - Flandres

The other film I saw yesterday was Flandres, written and directed by Bruno Dumont.

Dumont is from Flanders itself and the film is an extremely unflattering portrait of its inhabitants, or, at least, a selection of them. People hardly speak. They have emotion-free sex in fields. Four young men have to go to (an un-named) war; only a handful of people wave them off.

It's a tough watch. Even at war the men hardly speak and the only real glimmer of emotional warmth comes at the very end. But there is definitely something to it. About what makes us human and how deeply buried real feelings can be.

It was cheered and booed at the press screening - I had sympathies with both sides.