Vincent is an ex-soldier with PTSD who is hired to protect the wife and child of a wealthy Lebanese businessman while he's out of town. Despite the apparent tranquility in Maryland, Vincent perceives an external threat.
Set against the background of a brutal crime gang in Brussels, a tragic love story between Gigi, a high-flying gangster, and Bibi, a young racing driver with very upper-class roots.
Director:
Michaël R. Roskam
Stars:
Matthias Schoenaerts,
Adèle Exarchopoulos,
Eric De Staercke
Sint-Truiden, Belgium. Jacky, a young cattle farmer who is constantly pumped on steroids and hormones, is approached by a veterinarian to make a deal with a notorious beef trader.
A look at the relationship between pioneering 19th century French neurologist Dr. Jean-Martin Charcot and his star teenage patient, a kitchen maid who is left partially paralyzed after a seizure.
Put in charge of his young son, Alain leaves Belgium for Antibes to live with his sister and her husband as a family. Alain's bond with Stephanie, a killer whale trainer, grows deeper after Stephanie suffers a horrible accident.
Director:
Jacques Audiard
Stars:
Marion Cotillard,
Matthias Schoenaerts,
Armand Verdure
Driss and Manuel are two childhood friends who end up taking opposite paths: Manuel chose to embrace the thug life, while Driss becomes a cop. When Manuel's biggest deal goes terribly wrong, the two men meet again and come to realize they both need each other to survive in their worlds.
Director:
David Oelhoffen
Stars:
Matthias Schoenaerts,
Reda Kateb,
Adel Bencherif
In Victorian England, the independent and headstrong Bathsheba Everdene attracts three very different suitors: Gabriel Oak, a sheep farmer; Frank Troy, a reckless Sergeant; and William Boldwood, a prosperous and mature bachelor.
Director:
Thomas Vinterberg
Stars:
Carey Mulligan,
Matthias Schoenaerts,
Michael Sheen
During the early years of Nazi occupation of France in World War II, romance blooms between Lucile Angellier (Michelle Williams), a French villager, and Bruno von Falk (Matthias Schoenaerts), a German soldier.
Director:
Saul Dibb
Stars:
Michelle Williams,
Kristin Scott Thomas,
Margot Robbie
A city in Sète. A bourgeois family in a house in the middle of nowhere clashes with slum-dwellers residing in the projects. A mother and her daughter. Two childhood friends. A disappearance... See full summary »
Stuck in a dark limbo between life and death, a deceased soldier Nathan Rijckx collects shadows of dying men and women to buy back his own second chance at life. Obsessed by a girl he met ... See full summary »
Director:
Tom Van Avermaet
Stars:
Matthias Schoenaerts,
Laura Verlinden,
Peter Van den Eede
Samuel works in Brussels as a pharmaceutical delivery man. His gorgeous girlfriend Mireille heads off to New York to intern at a prestigious architecture firm. Shortly after her departure, ... See full summary »
Director:
Alex Stockman
Stars:
Matthias Schoenaerts,
Tine Van den Wyngaert,
Andrea Bardos
Vincent Loreau (Matthias Schoenaerts), a French Special Forces soldier just back from Afghanistan, is suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. He is hired to ensure the safety of Jessie, the wife of a wealthy Lebanese businessman in his "Maryland" property in the South of France. While he feels a strange fascination for the woman he must protect, Vincent is prone to anxiety and hallucinations. Despite the apparent tranquility on "Maryland", Vincent perceives an external threat...Written by
Polly_Kat
Cada Vez (Que Te Veo)
Performed by Negrocan
Written by Andy Lafone
Copyright Wyze Music Ltd & Viceroy Music Ltd/Bucks Music Group
With the authorization of David Platz Music - Paris See more »
French cinema has come a long way and is close to overtaking Asian cinema as my favourite world cinema. This has all the right ingredients for the type of thriller I personally enjoy the most. Suspense? Plenty. Intense? Sure. Psychologically stimulating? Ehhh. This was an intriguing concoction to mix PTSD psychology with a home invasion flick. It's just a shame the former wasn't explored to its maximum potential. Don't get me wrong, the utilisation of hallucinogenic imagery and delusional paranoia is well executed. In fact, it's what powers the narrative. The story itself is completely forgettable, bland and undeveloped. However, the attention to our protagonist is what truly captivates. Matthias Schoenaerts was the perfect casting choice for Vincent. His brute physicality and cold exterior unleashes plenty of inner torment for the character. You can tell through Schoenaerts' facial expressions that our character is brimming with determination and conflict. A superbly strong performance. Diane Kruger was also good and definitely held her own. The cinematography was incredibly seductive. The usage of slow motion, dark shadows and shades of purple really enhanced the experience. The contemporary sound design also highlighted the scenes of PTSD, which I appreciate. Alice Winocour's direction felt fresh, in particular the "over-the-shoulder" camera shots where we see what Vincent might (or might not...) be seeing. Including such intimacy really draws you into the narrative, especially the dialogue is minimal. It's a piece of visual storytelling, which in turn makes the plot less intricate and ambiguous. Whilst it does not necessarily work constantly, I was entranced by this and really enjoyed it. Some more attention to the story would've made it that much better, but it's worth a watch.
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French cinema has come a long way and is close to overtaking Asian cinema as my favourite world cinema. This has all the right ingredients for the type of thriller I personally enjoy the most. Suspense? Plenty. Intense? Sure. Psychologically stimulating? Ehhh. This was an intriguing concoction to mix PTSD psychology with a home invasion flick. It's just a shame the former wasn't explored to its maximum potential. Don't get me wrong, the utilisation of hallucinogenic imagery and delusional paranoia is well executed. In fact, it's what powers the narrative. The story itself is completely forgettable, bland and undeveloped. However, the attention to our protagonist is what truly captivates. Matthias Schoenaerts was the perfect casting choice for Vincent. His brute physicality and cold exterior unleashes plenty of inner torment for the character. You can tell through Schoenaerts' facial expressions that our character is brimming with determination and conflict. A superbly strong performance. Diane Kruger was also good and definitely held her own. The cinematography was incredibly seductive. The usage of slow motion, dark shadows and shades of purple really enhanced the experience. The contemporary sound design also highlighted the scenes of PTSD, which I appreciate. Alice Winocour's direction felt fresh, in particular the "over-the-shoulder" camera shots where we see what Vincent might (or might not...) be seeing. Including such intimacy really draws you into the narrative, especially the dialogue is minimal. It's a piece of visual storytelling, which in turn makes the plot less intricate and ambiguous. Whilst it does not necessarily work constantly, I was entranced by this and really enjoyed it. Some more attention to the story would've made it that much better, but it's worth a watch.