Patrick (2019 film)

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Patrick
Patrick (2019 film).jpg
Film poster
Directed by Tim Mielants
Written byTim Mielants
Benjamin Sprengers
Produced byBart Van Langendonck
Sarah Marks
Starring Kevin Janssens
Jemaine Clement
CinematographyFrank van den Eeden
Edited by Alain Dessauvage
Music byGeert Hellings
Release dates
  • 1 July 2019 (2019-07-01)(Karlovy Vary)
  • 28 August 2019 (2019-08-28)(Belgium)
Running time
97 minutes
CountriesBelgium
France
LanguagesDutch
French

Patrick (Dutch : De Patrick) is a 2019 Belgian comedy-drama film directed by Tim Mielants and starring Kevin Janssens, Jemaine Clement, Hannah Hoekstra, and Bouli Lanners. It had its world premiere at the 54th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, where it competed for the Crystal Globe, winning the Best Director Award for Mielants. [1] It received five nominations at the 10th Magritte Awards, winning Best Flemish Film. [2]

Contents

Plot

On the death of his father, Patrick is left in charge of his parent’s remote naturist camp in the Belgian Ardennes. Patrick, socially awkward and withdrawn, has a neat and orderly workshop where he likes to make wooden furniture. After his hammer goes missing, his obsessive and methodical search of the campsite leads to a variety of encounters with the camp’s residents.

Cast

Reception

Critical response

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes , 87% of 15 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.3/10. [3]

Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian described the film as "an enjoyable if self-consciously quirky black comedy," [4] while Mark Kermode in the The Observer referred to it as "A wry and oddly moving tale set in a world largely unencumbered by clothing, but riddled with intrigue, deceit, and the promise of self-discovery". [5] In The Hollywood Reporter , Boyd van Hoeij commented that, "As befits a film about nudists, Mielants treats all nudity with such nonchalance it becomes a non-issue after just a few minutes", [6] and Ian Freer from Empire magazine wrote that "Part mystery, part black comedy, part metaphor for loss, Patrick is a nakedly true original ... an offbeat delight." [7]

Among the few negative reviews, Kevin Maher in The Times described the film as "mostly glib and pointless". [8]

Accolades

Award / Film FestivalCategoryRecipients and nomineesResult
Crystal Globe Award [1] Best Film Nominated
Best Director Tim MielantsWon
Ensor Awards [9] Best FilmWon
Best DirectorTim MielantsWon
Best ScreenplayTim Mielants and Benjamin SprengersWon
Best Actor Kevin Janssens Won
Pierre Bokma Nominated
Best ActressAriane Van VlietNominated
Best CinematographyFrank van den EedenWon
Best Production DesignHubert Pouille and Pepijn Van LooyWon
Best Costume DesignValérie Le RoyWon
Best Editing Alain Dessauvage Nominated
Best Original ScoreGeert HellingsNominated
Fantastic Fest [10] Best Film – Next WaveWon
Best Director – Next WaveTim MielantsWon
German Independence Award [11] Best First Feature FilmNominated
Golden Alexander Award [11] Best FirstNominated
Magritte Awards [2] Best Flemish Film Won
Best Actor Kevin Janssens Nominated
Best Supporting Actor Bouli Lanners Nominated
Best Production Design Hubert Pouille and Pepijn Van LooyNominated
Best Costume Design Valérie Le RoyNominated

References

  1. 1 2 Wiseman, Andreas (6 July 2019). "Karlovy Vary Winners: Bulgarian Pic 'The Father' & German Drama 'Lara' Win Main Prizes". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved 2 February 2020.
  2. 1 2 Dricot, Lucy (1 February 2020). "Découvrez le palmarès complet de la 10e cérémonie des Magritte du cinéma" (in French). RTBF. Archived from the original on 8 November 2020. Retrieved 1 February 2020.
  3. "Patrick 2019". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango . Retrieved 18 November 2025.
  4. Bradshaw, Peter (18 November 2020). "Patrick review – shocking grief and startling nudity". The Guardian . Retrieved 18 November 2025.
  5. Kermode, Mark (22 November 2020). "Patrick review – wry, existential nudist comedy". The Observer . Retrieved 18 November 2025.
  6. van Hoeij, Boyd (8 July 2019). "'Patrick' ('De Patrick'): Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved 18 November 2025.
  7. Freer, Ian (20 November 2020). "Patrick Review". Empire . Retrieved 18 November 2025.
  8. Maher, Kevin (24 November 2020). "Patrick review — all the right tools but a botched job". The Times . Retrieved 18 November 2025.
  9. "Dit zijn de genomineerden voor De Ensors 2021" (in Dutch). De Ensors VZW. 27 January 2021. Archived from the original on 23 January 2021. Retrieved 19 March 2021.
  10. "2019 Fantastic Fest Awards". Fantastic Fest. 24 September 2019. Archived from the original on 25 September 2019. Retrieved 2 February 2020.
  11. 1 2 "Patrick". filmfest-oldenburg.de. Archived from the original on 13 August 2020. Retrieved 2 February 2020.