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The Misfortunates (2009)
De helaasheid der dingen (original title)

108 min  -  Comedy | Drama   -  9 April 2010 (USA)
7.4
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Ratings: 7.4/10 from 3,221 users   Metascore: 54/100 
Reviews: 10 user | 46 critic | 11 from Metacritic.com

13-year-old Gunther Strobbe grows up surrounded by alcohol, trash and his completely useless father and uncles. Slowly but surely, he's being prepared for the same hapless life. Can he defy his destiny?

Director:

Felix Van Groeningen

Writers:

Christophe Dirickx, Felix Van Groeningen, and 1 more credit »

Stars:

Kenneth Vanbaeden, Valentijn Dhaenens and Koen De Graeve
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1 photo | 3 videos | 5 news articles | full cast and crew »

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Related News

The Misfortunates, Strong Drink and Misadventures: A Movie Review
19 October 2010 4:31 PM, PDT | 28 Days Later Analysis
More Canadian dates for 'The Misfortunates' from Evokative Films
24 March 2010 8:19 AM, PDT | Twitch
Belgian Oscar Submission The Misfortunates Hits Canadian Screens Starting March 19th!
1 March 2010 10:06 PM, PST | Twitch
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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Kenneth Vanbaeden Kenneth Vanbaeden ...
Valentijn Dhaenens Valentijn Dhaenens ...
Koen De Graeve Koen De Graeve ...
Celle
Wouter Hendrickx Wouter Hendrickx ...
Petrol
Johan Heldenbergh Johan Heldenbergh ...
Breejen
Bert Haelvoet Bert Haelvoet ...
Koen
Gilda De Bal Gilda De Bal ...
Meetje
Natali Broods Natali Broods ...
Rosie
Pauline Grossen ...
Sylvie
Sofie Palmers Sofie Palmers ...
Vriendin Gunther
Guy Dermul Guy Dermul ...
Directeur school
Jos Geens Jos Geens ...
André
Robbie Cleiren Robbie Cleiren ...
Deurwaarder
Sara De Bosschere Sara De Bosschere ...
Nele Fockedey
Wout Kelchtermans Wout Kelchtermans ...
Kleine Franky
Full cast and crew »
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Storyline

13-year-old Gunther Strobbe grows up surrounded by alcohol, trash and his completely useless father and uncles. Slowly but surely, he's being prepared for the same hapless life. Can he defy his destiny?

Add Full Plot | Add Synopsis

Plot Keywords:

Childbirth | Father Son Relationship | Alcoholic | Author | Male Full Frontal Nudity  | See more »

Genres:

Comedy | Drama

Parents Guide:

View content advisory »
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Details

Official Sites:

Official site [Belgium] | Official site [France] | Add/edit official sites  »

Country:

Belgium | Netherlands

Language:

Dutch

Release Date:

(USA) See more »

Also Known As:

Çölde Kutup Ayisi See more »

Box Office

Gross:

€532,428 (Netherlands) (10 January 2010)
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Company Credits

Production Co:

Favourite Films NV, IDTV Film See more »
Show detailed company contact information on IMDbPro »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1
See full technical specs »
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Did You Know?

Trivia

The official Belgian submission for the 2010 Academy Awards. See more »

Goofs

Anachronisms: When Gunther is at the age of 13, there are trains in gray style passing in different scenes. But the new gray version was first introduced in the late 90's. See more »