Ex Drummer (2007)

Three handicapped losers who form a band ask famous writer Dries to be their drummer. He joins the band and starts manipulating them.

Director:

Koen Mortier

Writers:

Herman Brusselmans (novel), Koen Mortier (screenplay)

Stars:

Dries Van Hegen, Norman Baert, Gunter Lamoot

3 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Dries Van Hegen	...	Dries
Norman Baert	...	Koen de Geyter
Gunter Lamoot	...	Jan Verbeek
Sam Louwyck	...	Ivan Van Dorpe
François Beukelaers	...	Pa Verbeek
Bernadette Damman	...	Mother Verbeek
Joris Van Der Speeten	...	Jan Verbeek 10 years
Nancy Denijs	...	Ivan's Wife
Nomie Visser	...	Ivan's Daughter
Dolores Bouckaert	...	Lio
Wim Willaert	...	Jimmy
Barbara Callewaert	...	Christine
Jan Hammenecker	...	Dikke Lul
Vinnie Bonduwe	...	Friend Dikke Lul
Chantal Wannyn	...	Erna

Storyline

Every village has its band of fools, trying to get to the top, following their idols in drug habits, but staying losers till the end of their pathetic days. They all do this in the name of rock & roll. Three disabled rock musicians are looking for a drummer. Dries, a well known writer, seems the right guy for the job, were it not for the fact that his only handicap is that he can't play the drums. He joins the group as a perfect, but evil god walking down his mountain to play with the populace. With the arrival of this infiltrator, personal disputes and family feuds start to jeopardize the band's fragile future. Dries will manipulate them till they are willing to drink each others blood and their only future is written down in many Punk lyrics: "No Future".

---

Plot Keywords:

writer | drummer | evil | blood | drugs | 

---

Genres:

Comedy | Crime | Drama | Music

---

Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

Belgium France Italy

Language:

Dutch Flemish

Release Date:

31 January 2007 (Belgium)

Also Known As:

My Way Is the Highway

Filming Locations:

Middelkerke, Flanders, Belgium

Company Credits

Production Co:

CCCP, Czar, Quad Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

104 min 104 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

Rival band in the movie, "Harry Mulisch", is named after prominent Dutch writer Harry Mulisch.

---

Connections

Referenced in Waiting Room (2009)

---

Soundtracks

"Papa Bear"
by Stijn Ylode De Gezelle, PJ Vervondel
Performed by Madensuyu
Courtesy of Digital Piss Factory
under license from Digital Piss Factory

User Reviews

Nicely done adaptation, true to the novelist's style

For the portion of Herman Brusselmans's oeuvre I've read, the movie gave me quite the same feelings as his books. Is that a good thing? It is if you like the man's early work. It shares the very cynical humorous comments the protagonist dispenses in reaction to the other character's actions, as well as his patronizing lecturing towards the young attractive females.

None of the characters are even remotely likable. They're antisocial, immoral sometimes even homicidal ugly bastards and bitches. A normal conversation between them is simply impossible, insults and curses galore. At times it can get a bit cartoonesque.

Is it funny? Yes. Well, funny crude. Everything is quite over the top: the nudity, the violence and especially the music, which saves the film for a great deal. The soundtrack is an amalgam of Belgian and international noise rock, with some softer tracks to ease the pace.

I found it 90 minutes well spent, even if it dragged on a bit too long in the end.