Aaltra (2004)

Directors:

Gustave de Kervern
Benoît Delépine

Writers:

Benoît Delépine (writer)
Gustave de Kervern (writer)

Release Date:

23 June 2004 (Belgium)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Plot:

Mr Vives is not fond of the lazy farmer's hand who keeps blocking the road with his large harvester...

Plot Keywords:

Adultery | Motocross | Wheelchair | Bickering | Train Ride

Awards:

2 wins & 3 nominations

Cast

Benoît Delépine	...	L'employé
Gustave de Kervern	...	L'ouvrier agricole (as Gustave K/Vern)
Michel de Gavre	...	Le paysan
Gérard Condejean	...	Le Chinois
Isabelle Delépine	...	L'épouse
Pierre Ghenassia	...	Le patron
Fred Martin	...	Le collègue
Jan Bucquoy	...	L'amant
Pierre Carles	...	Le médecine
Céline Normand	...	Infirmière
Martine Peigné	...	Infirmière
Carine Liénard	...	Infirmière
Nathalie Carpentier	...	Infirmière
Dada Avrel	...	Le kiné
Jean-Michel Carlier	...	Ambulancier bavard
Laurent Galvez	...	Ambulancier muet
Vincent Belorgey	...	Agent SNCF
Christine Grulois	...	La guichetière
Geneviève Rotinckx	...	La serveuse
Abdelaziz Bachaou	...	L'éplucheur de patates
Cécile Stanquet	...	La femme qui aide
Noël Godin	...	Le clochard volubile
Vincent Patar	...	Le guichetier têtu
Joseph Dahan	...	Le motard
Hughes Tavier	...	Le passant agressé
Laurence Vermpiren	...	La passante
Peter Vanmutten	...	Le deuxième passant agressé
Robert Dehoux	...	L'amnésique
Benoît Poelvoorde	...	L'amateur de moto-cross
Robin Woerts	...	Le fils du fan
Gaspard Tavier	...	L'enfant aux frites
Joël Robert	...	Joël Robert
Benedikt Van der Vorst	...	Le père flamand
Christine Van der Vorst	...	La mère flamande
Charlotte Van der Vorst	...	La fille flamande
Alexandra Van der Vorst	...	LA 2e fille flamande
Félix Delépine	...	Enfant (voice)
Denis Marquet	...	Enfant (voice)
Christophe Salengro	...	Le samaritain
Jean-Marie Villain	...	Le 1er ouvrier
Michel Levrey	...	Le 2e ouvrier
Harra Geerts	...	Le camionneur fantôme
Paul Tavier	...	Le vieux sur la péniche
Sabine Tavier	...	La vieille sur la péniche
Stefan Everts	...	Himself
Jason Flemyng	...	L'Anglais à la moto
Stanislas Zoba	...	Le mécanicien Husqvarna
Isabelle Girard	...	La fille à l'aspirateur
Walter Brandenburg	...	Le père allemand
Martina Brandenburg	...	La mère allemande
Mariana Brandenburg	...	La fille allemande
Arthur Brandenburg	...	Le fils allemand
Vincent Tavier	...	Saint-Christophe
Jackson Elizondo	...	Un endormi
Guillaume Le Bras	...	Un endormi
Laurent Cercleux	...	Un endormi
Hugues Poulain	...	Un endormi
Emilie Furelid	...	La fille sur le pont
Thérèse Kobankaya	...	La morte mystérieuse
Irmeli Debarle	...	La finlandaise bavarde
Bouli Lanners	...	Le chanteur finlandais
Aki Kaurismäki	...	Le patron Aaltra

Directed by
Gustave de Kervern		(as Gustave K/Vern)
Benoît Delépine

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Gustave de Kervern		writer (as Gustave K/Vern)
Benoît Delépine		writer

Produced by
Guillaume Malandrin	....	producer
Vincent Tavier	....	producer

Original Music by
Les Wampas

Cinematography by
Hugues Poulain

Film Editing by
Anne-Laure Guégan

Production Design by
Isabelle Girard

Costume Design by
Isabelle Girard

Production Management
Laurent Galvez	....	unit production manager

Sound Department
Laurent Cercleux	....	sound
Guillaume Le Bras	....	sound editor
Guillaume Le Bras	....	sound mixer
Guillaume Le Bras	....	sound

Camera and Electrical Department
Jackson Elizondo	....	assistant camera

Editorial Department
Marguerite Le Bourgeois	....	assistant editor
Sophie Vercruysse	....	assistant editor

Other crew
Priscilla Bertin	....	production assistant
Adriana Piasek-Wanski	....	production assistant

Production Companies

• La Parti Productions
• Moviestream
• OF2B Productions

Distributors

• B-ware!media (2007) (Germany) (DVD)
• Funny Balloons (2004) (worldwide) (all media) (worldwide sales)
• Cinema Surreal (2007) (Germany) (DVD)
• Ad Vitam Distribution (2004) (France) (theatrical)
• Divisa Home Video (2006) (Spain) (DVD)
• Film Movement (2005) (USA) (all media)
• Filmmuseum Distributie (2004) (Netherlands)
• Tour de Force (2005) (Norway) (theatrical)
• Vivarto (2007) (Poland) (all media)
• Weltecho (2006) (Germany) (theatrical) (subtitled)

Runtime:

France:92 min

Country:

France | Belgium

Language:

English | Finnish | French | German | Dutch

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS

Certification:

Norway:11 | Portugal:M/16 | Netherlands:MG6 | Switzerland:10 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:10 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15 | Sweden:7

Company:

La Parti Productions

A black-and-white 'black' comedy treat with a sting…

Forget about Thelma and Louise (1991), The Sugarland Express (1974) and others: this is a road movie with a real difference – actually many differences.

First, it's shot in beautiful, stark black-and-white, always the best, in my opinion, for watching faces – the shadows bringing out the grimaces, smiles, sadness, despair etc, in a way that colour misses. Second, most of the players in this story are nameless. Third, there is virtually no musical sound track; but there is a hilarious scene at a biker gathering when le chanteur finlandais (Bouli Lanners) sings – in English – the well know blues song, 'Sonny'. And, finally, the story is told more or less visually, as good cinema should; while the sparse dialog fills in the narrative 'gaps' for the viewer.

It doesn't start as a road movie at all: two locals in a provincial town have an argument that results in both of them rendered paralyzed from the waist down. After a period of hospitalization, they both return to their homes in wheelchairs, realizing that their lives are ruined unless they try to get compensation from the company that produced the faulty equipment that caused their injuries. So, they decide to go to Finland together, to the headquarters of the company – Aaltra – and demand compensation. And so, they begin their journey…in wheelchairs! The rest of the story isn't really about Aaltra, at all. Instead, the directors – who also play the two paralyzed protagonists – use that scenario to explore and satirize how ordinary people treat the wheelchair bound and vice-versa, setting up some moments of side-splitting humour and irony as the two travel 3000 km to finally reach their objective. And, what an objective it is...which I'll leave you to discover.

For me, this movie is a treat, a feast about why people go out of their way to be helpful, kind, difficult, unpleasant, devious, obnoxious etc – and what can happen when they lose the capacity for trying to understand another's point of view. It's an object lesson for all, and a very funny one to boot.

Highly recommended for all lovers of good cinema and clever comedy.