The Misfortunates

Last updated

The Misfortunates
The Misfortunates Poster.jpg
Directed by Felix Van Groeningen
Screenplay byFelix Van Groeningen
Christophe Dirickx
Based onDe Helaasheid der Dingen
by Dimitri Verhulst
Produced byDirk Impens
Jeroen Beker
Frans van Gestel
StarringKenneth Vanbaeden
Valentijn Dhaenens
Koen De Graeve
Wouter Hendrickx
Johan Heldenbergh
Bert Haelvoet
Cinematography Ruben Impens
Edited byNico Leunen
Music byJef Neve
Distributed byMenuet
IDTV
Release date
  • 16 May 2009 (2009-05-16)
Running time
108 minutes
CountryBelgium
LanguageDutch

The Misfortunates (Dutch : De Helaasheid der Dingen) is a 2009 Belgian comedy-drama film directed by Felix Van Groeningen. It is adapted from the 2006 semi-autobiographical novel of the same name by Belgian writer Dimitri Verhulst. [1] The film stars Kenneth Vanbaeden, Valentijn Dhaenens, Koen De Graeve, Wouter Hendrickx, Johan Heldenbergh, Bert Haelvoet, and Gilda De Bal. [2]

Contents

Synopsis

In the 1980s, Gunther Strobbe (Kenneth Vanbaeden) is a thirteen-year-old boy living with his father, Celle (Koen De Graeve), his three uncles Petrol, Breeze, Koen, (Wouter Hendrickx, Johan Heldenbergh, and Bert Haelvoet respectively) and his mother Meetje (Gilda De Bal). Celle works part-time as a postman, while his brothers are boozing layabouts who live off their mother's pension. The men of this family spend their days drinking beer and eating sausage, breaking things, playing pranks on people, and chasing women. In the present day, Gunther has made a career as a writer when his girlfriend suddenly falls pregnant with a son—apprehensive of his new responsibilities, Gunther seeks out his father and his uncles for some advice on fatherhood.

Cast

Critical reception

The chief film critic of The New York Times , Manohla Dargis, wrote: "The revelation of the adult Gunther’s thinking and being – he’s callous, near brutal to his girlfriend – is extremely well managed and shows just how subtle this loud, seemingly rough tale really is." [1] Variety described the film as starting out as an "extremely lowbrow comedy" but later "morphing into a bittersweet meditation on whether familial love and pride are enough to sustain a proper upbringing." [3] LA Weekly compared the film to mixing "the visual exuberance of Trainspotting with the familial pathos of Angela’s Ashes ". [4]

Accolades

The film won the Prix Art et Essai at Cannes Film Festival in the Director's Fortnight section. [5] The film was the official Belgian entry for the 82nd Academy Awards in 2010 in the category of Best Foreign Language Film. [6]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cinema of Belgium</span> Filmmaking in Belgium

Cinema of Belgium refers to the film industry based in Belgium. Belgium is essentially a bi-lingual country divided into the Flemish (Dutch-speaking) north and the French-speaking south. There is also a small community of German speakers in the border region with Germany. Belgium is further a federal country made up of three regions and three language communities . Due to these linguistic and political divisions it is difficult to speak of a national, unified Cinema of Belgium. It would be more appropriate to talk about Flemish or Dutch-language cinema of Belgium and Walloon or French-language cinema of Belgium.

<i>Steve + Sky</i> 2004 Belgian film

Steve + Sky is a 2004 Belgian comedy-drama film written and directed by Felix Van Groeningen in his directorial debut. It stars Titus De Voogdt, Delfine Bafort and Johan Heldenbergh. The film is set in Kortrijksesteenweg in Ghent, which is known for its many brothels, and follows two 22-year-olds whose lives crosses paths.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">TI–Raleigh</span>

TI–Raleigh was a Dutch professional track cycling and road bicycle racing team between 1972 and 1983. In that decade the team won over 900 races. The team was created and led by Peter Post. In his own cycling career, his nickname was the Six Days Emperor, being a track champion. He also won the 1964 fast edition of Paris–Roubaix. Post was pretty harsh on himself. He had no time to celebrate and was always looking ahead at the next races. That attitude might have been the key to the teams succes.

Moscow, Belgium is a 2008 Belgian film directed by Christophe Van Rompaey and written by Jean-Claude Van Rijckeghem and Pat van Beirs.

<i>Loft</i> (2008 film) 2008 film by Erik Van Looy

Loft is a 2008 Belgian erotic mystery film directed by Erik Van Looy and written by Bart De Pauw, starring an ensemble cast of Flemish actors, led by Koen De Bouw, Filip Peeters, Bruno Vanden Broucke, Matthias Schoenaerts and Koen De Graeve.

Intensive Care is a 1991 Dutch action horror film directed by Dorna van Rouveroy. It stars popular Flemish singer Koen Wauters in his second and final film role and Hollywood actor George Kennedy. While the movie was not a box office success it did develop a cult following over the decades due to it being hilariously bad and campy. It has been shown during the Belgian-Dutch Nacht van de Wansmaak film festival.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gilles Coulier</span> Belgian film director

Gilles Coulier is a Belgian director/scriptwriter and producer known for the film 'Cargo' (2017) and the television series 'De Dag' and 'Bevergem'.

<i>With Friends Like These</i> 2007 film directed by Felix Van Groeningen

With Friends Like These is a 2007 Flemish comedy-drama directed by Felix Van Groeningen. The script was written by Felix Van Groeningen and Arne Sierens.

<i>The Broken Circle Breakdown</i> 2012 Belgian drama film by Felix Van Groeningen

The Broken Circle Breakdown is a 2012 Belgian drama film directed by Felix van Groeningen with a screenplay by Carl Joos and van Groeningen. It is based on the stage play of the same name by Johan Heldenbergh and Mieke Dobbels.

Koen van den Broek is a Belgian artist who lives and works in Antwerp and Seoul, South Korea.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Koen De Bouw</span> Belgian actor

Koen De Bouw is a Belgian actor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Johan Heldenbergh</span> Belgian actor

Johan Heldenbergh is a Belgian actor, playwright, screenwriter, theatre director and film director. He gained international fame by starring in films, including A Day in a Life (2007), Moscow, Belgium (2008), The Misfortunates (2009), The Broken Circle Breakdown (2012) and The Zookeeper's Wife (2017).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Felix van Groeningen</span> Belgian film director and screenwriter

Felix van Groeningen is a Belgian film director and screenwriter. He is known for The Broken Circle Breakdown (2012) and Belgica (2016), with the former being nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at the 86th Academy Awards. He made his English-language debut with the biographical drama Beautiful Boy (2018).

Time of My Life is a 2012 Belgian film written and directed by Nic Balthazar. The story is based upon real life events and contains original news footage.

Cordon is a 2014 Belgian Dutch-language drama series in 10 parts. It was first broadcast on VTM. The series was written by Carl Joos, directed by Tim Mielants and produced by Eyeworks. The series was also broadcast in the UK on BBC Four from 28 June to 25 July 2015, in five 2-part installments. An American version, titled Containment, was produced for The CW network and broadcast in 2016.

<i>Belgica</i> (film) 2016 film directed by Felix Van Groeningen

Belgica is a 2016 Belgian drama film directed by Felix Van Groeningen, written by Van Groeningen and Arne Sierens. It stars Stef Aerts, Tom Vermeir, Hélène Devos, and Charlotte Vandermeersch. The movie is based upon a true story and revolves around a group of friends trying to run a bar where rock bands come to play. Belgica has since then become a cult film.

Café Derby is a Belgian film directed by Lenny Van Wesemael and released on 11 September 2015 at the Ostend Film Festival. It is based upon the true story of Van Wesemael's father.

Torpedo is a 2019 Belgian action & war film directed by Sven Huybrechts and starring Koen De Bouw. The movie is loosely based on true events.

References

  1. 1 2 Dargis, Manohla (8 April 2010). "A Family Lives to Drink, and, Yes, Drinks to Live". The New York Times . Retrieved 19 June 2018.
  2. ↑ "The Misfortunates | Menuet & IDTV Film presents: The Misfortunates, a film by Felix van Groeningen". Archived from the original on 8 March 2012. Retrieved 19 June 2018.
  3. ↑ Boyd Van Hoeij (17 May 2009). "The Misfortunates". Variety . Retrieved 20 January 2010.
  4. ↑ Chuck Wilson (9 December 2009). "The Misfortunates". LA Weekly . Retrieved 20 January 2010.
  5. ↑ ""Misfortunates" win in Cannes". Vlaamse Radio- en Televisieomroep. 23 May 2009. Retrieved 20 January 2010.
  6. ↑ Leffler, Rebecca (21 September 2009). "Belgium backs 'Misfortunates' for Oscar". The Hollywood Reporter . Associated Press . Retrieved 19 June 2018.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.