Synopsis
Stefan, a Romanian construction worker living in Brussels, is on the verge of moving back home. From the leftovers in his fridge, he cooks up a big pot of soup as a goodbye gift to friends and family. Just as he is ready to go, he meets a young Belgian-Chinese woman who helps her aunt in a little restaurant while preparing for a doctorate on mosses, and a tentative friendship emerges. Bas Devos has crafted a film rooted in the practice of what it simply means to be present, finding connection as an immigrant with people and places. It is a film that blurs the boundaries between dreams and reality, creating a work of uncommon warmth, delicacy, and true wonder.
Festival & Awards
Berlin International Film Festival, 2023 –
Winner Encounters Award, Bas Devos,
Winner FIPRESCI Prize, Bas Devos
Toronto International Film Festival, 2023
New York Film Festival, 2023
San Sebastián International Film Festival, 2023
International Film Festival Rotterdam, 2024
Quotes
★★★★ “A gorgeous study of fragile human bonds….” – Laura Venning, Little White Lies.
★★★★ ”Belgian director Bas Devos’s gentle, delicate and quietly beguiling movie, a prize winner last year in Berlin, is about love and fate.” – Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian.
Film Info
82 mins | Belgium | 2023 | CLUB
Director:
Bas Devos
Cast:
Stefan Gota, Liyo Gong, Cedric Luvuezo, Teodor Corban, Saadia Bentaïeb