Dirty Mind

Colour, 35 mm
Belgium, 2008, 110 min
IP – International premiere
Section: Variety Critics’ Choice

Synopsis

Nebbish Diego (Wim Helsen) is a girl-shy technician who plans the behind-the-scenes details for his stuntman brother’s feats of derring-do. When forced to perform one of the tricks himself, Diego misses the safety net and wakes up in a hospital as the glib, fast-talking daredevil "Tony T.” Though the doctor diagnoses him with a personality-altering frontal lobe disorder, Tony doesn’t want to be cured, as he is finally living the life he’s always dreamed of. This eccentric tragicomedy from Belgian director Van Hees (Left Bank) comes laced with dark humor and some impressive individual sequences — including two spectacular stunts — while star Helsen sells a transformation that’s especially noteworthy because it depends purely on his acting, with the actor switching between personalities while his hair and glasses remain exactly the same.