Dir: Koen Mortier
Starring: Sam Louwyck, François Beukelaers, Titus De Voogdt
The Film:
22nd Of May will certainly go down as one of the more unique films I have seen recently. This is an art house film through and through, which may or may not turn people away. I mean I certainly hope not because this is worth giving a shot but it wont be for everyone.
The story is about a mall security guard, who goes into work one day and a bomb explodes. He tries to save people, but he then runs off and finds himself in a type of purgatory. There he is confronted by those affected by the blast, and whether or not he was at fault for what happened.
It sounds strange and it really is, it takes awhile to really engage into what is happening after the blast. The first 10 minutes of this film are almost without dialogue, and it is beautifully shot and we get a sense that something is going to happen. After the blast it takes such a strange turn and it takes awhile to take all of this in and adjust. It isn’t quite clear at first what is going on, but as we begin to meet these victims we kind of ease into it. I mean this is what I understood, I am sure others may have a different interpretation.
The film goes through a slew of different characters; there are different stories to be told and different views to be seen. It eventually takes a turn, which I will not reveal here, and while some of the in-between lost me, this turn really struck me hard. The way the film ends is quite beautiful in a way, and its slow motion and artistic expression is amazing. It is an extraordinary visual to experience, and it is in a way the perfect way to wrap the film up.
The performances here are on and off; the one person who remains on throughout the entire film is the star Sam Louwyck. He carries the film and remains a constant, we are with him from the beginning and he really never lets up. The victims are the ones who are either good or they aren’t, this has a lot to do with how their part was written. Some have rather bland roles and stories to tell and they just can’t work it above that written level. Some of them lost me, others didn’t it, it was just a really big mixed bag and depending on how others feel it will either be something that doesn’t bother you or you’ll find it irritating.
This film is directed well and just beautifully shot, it was edited well and it is a real piece of art. The film has a kind of strange Lynchian feel, which is partly why I was drawn to it. It is about life, death, decisions, regret, and it will certainly leave the viewer pondering these and more for quite some time after watching this.
The Australian DVD:
The DVD I reviewed was a screener, so I am unable to comment on Picture/Audio quality.
Rating:
DVD details here.
Thanks to Bill care of Accent Film Entertainment for the copy.
The Super Network 