BOULI LANNERS
Belgium,
2008, 80 minutes, Color, film website
A man returns home to find a burglar hiding under his bed. For most people, this would be an unpleasant situation, to say the least, but Yvan (writer/director Bouli Lanners) merely tells the inept fellow to leave. Later, when he spots the burglar standing forlornly by the side of the road, Yvan's reaction is even more unexpected: he offers the guy a ride—all the way across the country. And so begins a journey way off the beaten track. The burglar, Didier, or maybe Elie, is possibly a junkie and wants to visit his parents. Yvan buys old gas-guzzling American cars, fixes them up, and sells them to European collectors. His motivations for helping Didier are revealed slowly. Along the way, the pair encounter a variety of surprising characters—psychics and nudists (we're talking full-frontal nudists)—as viewers are treated to gorgeous cinematography capturing Belgium's lush forests and back roads.—Dave Nuttycombe
A man returns home to find a burglar hiding under his bed. For most people, this would be an unpleasant situation, to say the least, but Yvan (writer/director Bouli Lanners) merely tells the inept fellow to leave. Later, when he spots the burglar standing forlornly by the side of the road, Yvan's reaction is even more unexpected: he offers the guy a ride—all the way across the country. And so begins a journey way off the beaten track. The burglar, Didier, or maybe Elie, is possibly a junkie and wants to visit his parents. Yvan buys old gas-guzzling American cars, fixes them up, and sells them to European collectors. His motivations for helping Didier are revealed slowly. Along the way, the pair encounter a variety of surprising characters—psychics and nudists (we're talking full-frontal nudists)—as viewers are treated to gorgeous cinematography capturing Belgium's lush forests and back roads.—Dave Nuttycombe