Distant Tremors

Colour, 35 mm
Belgium, France, 2008, 100 min
WP – World premiere
Section: Official Selection - Competition

Synopsis

Increasingly disheartened by the monotony of his provincial existence, young Senegalese Bandiougou has not long to wait before he can leave his native town forever. However, his hopes of a passage to Europe are crushed and, from that moment onwards, the young man’s life is beset by a series of misfortunes which he sees as a curse. He draws the introverted French girl Marie into his world of feverish visions and fetishes, much to the dismay of her father, the local physician Jean. Bandiougou then jumps at a proposition from antiques dealer Boris who has abruptly appeared on the scene, and the strange foursome set off on a mysterious journey down the river, to places where magic is born. Poutte’s psychological drama offers a stirring image of a conflict between two cultures represented by individuals who dream of a different life. In his visually compelling film he contrasts a rational and unquestioning approach to life with a world whose inhabitants are accustomed to interpreting reality on the basis of the symbolic value attributed to things and events. The main protagonist is convincingly portrayed by Senegalese musician Papa Malick N’Diaye.

About the director

Manuel Poutte (b. 1963, Brussels) studied philosophy and screenwriting. He began his artistic career as a musician, becoming a member of the band Berntholer who joined the European new wave during the 1980s. After a series of short films during the period 1991 – 1994 (e.g. La sensation – Grand Jury Prize at Cannes 1992), he made the feature film La danse des esprits (1997). He is also behind the documentary examining the theme of globalisation En vie (2000). He established the companies Lux Fugit Films and Dolce Vita Films in 1992.