Moscow, Belgium

Colour, 35 mm
Belgium, 2008, 102 min
Section: Open Eyes

Synopsis

Embittered postwoman Matty is facing the start of a middle-age crisis, her husband has abandoned her for a younger woman, leaving her with three pubertal children. When she meets truck driver Johnny, ten years her junior, it takes a while before she responds to his evident interest in her. Gradually Matty and Johnny get together, much to the dismay of her adolescent daughter and husband, now back on the scene. This romantic but not slushy film follows its charismatic heroine on a journey towards happiness and late romance. The story unfolds in Moscow, a working-class neighbourhood of Ghent, a gently humoured tale of mismatched love between a 40-year-old postwoman and a 30-year-old truck driver, told in a civil, realistic style. The superb performances and outstanding dialogues underscore the genuine appeal and engaging credibility of the film. Moscow, Belgium was screened at Cannes during this year’s International Critics’ Week, from where it took away several awards.

About the director

Christophe van Rompaey (b. 1970, Ghent, Belgium) made several short films while he was still a student. After graduating he began making shorts, commercials and, as assistant director, he was involved in a number of films made in Belgium and the Netherlands. His three dark and mysterious short films Grijs (1995), Ex.#N°1870–4 (1999) and Oh my God?! (2001) took away prizes from various festivals. Van Rompaey also directed twelve episodes of the popular relationship series Team Spirit (2002), and also worked on the comedy series Hallelujah (2004) about the romantic misadventures of a guardian angel. In 2007 he directed three episodes of the dark crime series Missing (Vermist). Moscow, Belgium is his feature debut; he is currently preparing his second feature Blanco, based on the novel by Peter Terrin. He is developing a new project with the writers of the film Moscow, Belgium.