By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 4.5 cats
Director: Cristophe Van Rompaey
Starring: Anemone Valcke | Barbara Sarafian | Johan Heldenbergh | Julain Borsani | Jurgen Delnaet | Sofia Ferri
Original language title: Aanrijding in Moscou
Country: belgium
Year: 2009
Running time: 102
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0948530/
Bruce says: “This gem is from Belgium, home of the Dardenne brothers who seem have a monopoly on filmmaking in their country. It is refreshing to learn that there may be other Belgian films yet to be discovered by the rest of the world.
“MOSCOW, BELGIUM begins with a fender bender. Matty (Barbara Sarafian), mother of three, is leaving the supermarket. Accidentally she backs into a cab for an eighteen wheeler which is parked directly behind her. She wastes no time in berating the truck driver who with equal verbal dexterity begins to match her insults with ‘Have you not looked in the mirror? It’s not only your car that’s seen better days.’ She in turn calls him a ‘Cheap charmer, a first class bastard who is trying to chat me up.’
“Matty is separated from her husband Werner(Johan Heldenbergh) although he routinely calls and stops by just to make sure his wife still misses him and wants him to ditch the student with whom he is currently playing house. Werner begs for attention one minute then slips off to answer a phone call from his girlfriend, the next. Matty is simultaneously flattered an repulsed by his sleazy attempt to remind her how good they are together. John begins his courtship by calling, then stopping by to fix the trunk of the car that was damaged in the collision. Initially she is rude, then slightly civil. Within a short time she invites John to dinner. She agrees to have a drink with him, but just a drink. ‘I’m not going to sleep with you, not in a million years.’ ‘You put mustard on everything,’ John tells her, suggesting it is a metaphor for the way she behaves, covering up the essence of her life.
“Matty gives in quite rapidly and she soon finds herself having sex in the back of the truck. And so begins a wildly unique and unorthodox love affair. John (Jurgen Delnaet) is 29 and Matty is 41. It is refreshing to find a love story that is positive, yet confrontational and unconventional. The script illuminates the ways in which people communicate in the digital age, how the use of stock phrases has replaced the necessity for digging more deeply to carefully choose words that adequately reflect their feelings. Barbara Sarafian and Jurgen Nelnaet are beautifully paired, their chemistry is perfect. Johan Heldenbergh is perfect in his role of the philandering husband who, to his surprise and distaste, becomes a cuckold. 4.5 cats“