Calvaire (2004)

Director:

Fabrice Du Welz

Writers:

Fabrice Du Welz (writer)
Romain Protat (writer)

Release Date:

9 March 2005 (Belgium)

Genre:

Drama | Horror

Tagline:

Some people would kill for company.

Plot:

A singer's car breaks down deep in the woods.

Plot Keywords:

Grotesque | Quicksand | Crucifixion | Woods | Singer

Awards:

4 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Laurent Lucas	...	Marc Stevens
Brigitte Lahaie	...	Mademoiselle Vicky
Gigi Coursigny	...	Madame Langhoff
Jean-Luc Couchard	...	Boris
Jackie Berroyer	...	Bartel
Philippe Nahon	...	Robert Orton
Philippe Grand'Henry	...	Tomas Orton
Jo Prestia	...	Fermier Mylène
Marc Lefebvre	...	Lucien
Alfred David	...	Roland (as Alfred David-Pingouin)
Alain Delaunois	...	Gáant
Vincent Cahay	...	Stan Le Pianiste
Johan Meys	...	Rosto
Romain Protat	...	Figurant Dans Le Bar
Damien Waselle	...	Figurant Dans Le Bar
Viktor Mikol	...	Figurant Dans Le Bar
Nedzad Kurtagic	...	Figurant Dans Le Bar
Yves Vaucher	...	Figurant Dans Le Bar
Borhan Du Welz	...	Enfant Dans Le Bois
Maxime Dewitte	...	Enfant Dans Le Bois
Alexis Dewitte	...	Enfant Dans Le Bois
Liam Gilson	...	Enfant Dans Le Bois
Raphaël Schmidt	...	Enfant Dans Le Bois
Eliot Cahay	...	Enfant Dans Le Bois
Farkhad Alekperov	...	Enfant Dans Le Bois

Directed by
Fabrice Du Welz

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Fabrice Du Welz		writer
Romain Protat		writer

Produced by
Michael Gentile	....	producer
Eddy Géradon-Luyckx	....	producer
Vincent Tavier	....	producer

Original Music by
Vincent Cahay

Cinematography by
Benoît Debie

Film Editing by
Sabine Hubeaux

Production Design by
Manu de Meulemeester

Costume Design by
Geraldine Picron

Makeup Department
Aurélie Elich	....	chief makeup & hair

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Sébastien Fernandes Tasch	....	second assistant director
Jean-Louis Frémont	....	assistant director

Sound Department
Benoît Biral	....	sound re-recording mixer
Bertrand Boudaud	....	foley artist
Emmanuel de Boissieu	....	sound mixer
Marc Engels	....	sound
Frédéric Meert	....	sound editor
Ingrid Simon	....	dialogue editor

Special Effects by
Alain Couty	....	special effects coordinator

Visual Effects by
Benjamin Ageorges	....	digital compositor
Stephane Bidault	....	visual effects supervisor
Christophe Chanvin	....	visual effects supervisor
Jean-Antoine Lacolle	....	digital compositor
Matthias Weber	....	visual effects producer

Stunts
Pascale Noël	....	stunt safety

Camera and Electrical Department
Luca Etter	....	still photographer
Jean-François Hensgens	....	focus puller
Témoudjine Janssens	....	grip
Didier Versolatto	....	electrician

Other crew
Jean-Yves Dupuis	....	production accountant
Hélène Lambotte	....	production assistant
Adriana Piasek-Wanski	....	production assistant
Felix Sorger	....	production consultant
Saveria Thomasi	....	choreographer

Production Companies

• The Film
• Backup Films (in association with)
• Centre du Cinéma et de l'Audiovisuel de la Communauté Française de Belgique
• Fonds National de Soutien à la Production Audiovisuelle du Luxembourg
• La Parti Productions
• Studio Canal
• Tarantula
• Télédistributeurs Wallons

Distributors

• Funny Balloons (2005) (worldwide) (all media) (worldwide sales)
• I-On New Media (2005) (Germany) (DVD)
• Inspire Pictures (2005) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Mars Distribution (2005) (France) (theatrical)
• Millennium Storm (2005) (Italy) (video)
• Palm Pictures (2006) (USA) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• Stardis Pictures (2006) (Spain) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Bollux  film stock provided by
• Bollux  grip rental company
• Bollux  tracking vehicle and low loader
• Eye-Lite  camera equipment provided by
• Film & Television Facilities  generators
• Location Consulting & Facilities  generators

Also Known As:

The Ordeal (Europe: English title) (International: English title)

Runtime:

94 min

Country:

Belgium | France | Luxembourg

Language:

French

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS

Certification:

Australia:MA | Italy:VM14 | Singapore:R21 | Canada:16+ (Quebec) | UK:18 | Japan:R-15 | France:-16 | Switzerland:16 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:16 (canton of Vaud)

Filming Locations:

Bullingen, Belgium

Company:

The Film

Goofs:

Miscellaneous: "ELECRTICITE" is spelled during the end credits instead of "ELECTRICITE" (Electricity)

Movie Connections:

References The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)

Surreal and bizarre modern highlight!

Belgium might not be one of the world's premier film-making nations, but they sure know how to make a good bizarre exploitation flick with the power to get under your skin! Calvaire might not be a film to please the mainstream horror fan, but for those like me who are into the darker, more extreme side of cinema; this film is a treat indeed. Director Fabrice Du Welz has packed his film with a plethora of bizarre sexual acts; which is best illustrated by the fact that the hinted bestiality isn't all that shocking in comparison to some of the other character's delights. The film works from a very simple premise that has been seen in many other films, but it's what comes after that is important. We centre on Marc Stevens; a singer that is unfortunate enough to break down in the middle of a forest during winter. He takes up residence in a near-by farm house owned by a slightly odd old man, who apparently used to have a comedy act. What Marc doesn't bank on is the insanity of his host, which comes out in the form of an ordeal in which Marc is tortured, beaten and humiliated in just about the strangest ways possible...

The biggest standout of this production is director Fabrice Du Welz, who gives the film credibility in spite of its subject matter with some inventive usage of the camera which succeeds both in creating a dark and ominous atmosphere, as well as generating a surreal tidal wave of disorientation. The way that the camera swirls round the deranged characters at a 'family' scene, for example, helps to give the film a nasty tint that excellently compliments the subject material. It has to be said that, at times, the bizarre sexual practices get a little out of hand, and it's hard to really take seriously; although in a way this helps to further implement the stark and surreal atmosphere, which in turn helps the film to achieve its aim of shocking its audience. The acting isn't a strong point, however, as some of the central performances are more than a little flat; although this isn't a massive problem as exploitation cinema has never been known for great performances, and the set of actors do succeed in getting the film's point across. Overall, this is certainly one of the weirdest films to be released in the last few years and comes highly recommended to fans of cult cinema!