When It Melts

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When It Melts
When It Melts.jpg
Film poster
Directed by Veerle Baetens
Written by
  • Veerle Baetens
  • Maarten Loix
Based onThe Melting
by Lize Spit
Produced by
CinematographyFrederic Van Zandycke
Edited byThomas Pooters
Music byBjorn Eriksson
Production
companies
Savage Film
Flanders Image
Release dates
  • 21 January 2023 (2023-01-21)(Sundance)
  • 25 October 2023 (2023-10-25)
Running time
111 minutes
CountriesBelgium
Netherlands
LanguageDutch

When It Melts (Dutch : Het smelt) is a 2023 drama film written and directed by Veerle Baetens in her directorial debut. It is loosely based on the 2016 novel The Melting (Het smelt) by Lize Spit. The film stars Charlotte De Bruyne and Rosa Marchant, and explores themes of childhood trauma, the influence of family dynamics, and the struggle for personal identity.

Contents

The film had its world premiere at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival where it competed for the Grand Jury Prize Dramatic. [1] At the 2023 Ensor Awards, When It Melts received eight nominations, including Best Film and Best Director for Baetens. [2]

Plot

Eva grows up with two boys in the small village of Bovenmeer. As they reach adolescence, the boys come up with cruel schemes, and Eva is faced with the difficult decision of whether to go along with them, a choice she feels powerless to avoid. Thirteen years after that fateful summer spiraled out of control, Eva returns to her hometown with a block of ice in the trunk of her car, intent on confronting the trauma of her past.

Production

Production for When It Melts was initially in the hands of the production company Menuet. After it ceased to exist in 2017, Savage Film, led by Bart Van Langendonck and Sarah Marks, took over. In early 2020, the film project was presented at the Berlinale production market, where it won the ArteKino International Prize. The film also received financial support from the Netherlands Film Fund and the Flanders Audiovisual Fund. [3]

In August 2021, filming commenced across various locations in Belgium, spanning two months. Actress Veerle Baetens made her directorial debut with the project, after five years of preparation, which included working with Maarten Loix to adapt Lize Spit's novel The Melting (Het smelt) into a screenplay. [4] The film was initially scheduled for release on November 24, 2022, but was postponed to the fall of 2023. In early December 2022, it was selected for the World Cinema Dramatic competition at the Sundance Film Festival in the United States, where it had its world premiere on 21 January 2023. [5]

Reception

Critical response

When It Melts received positive reviews from critics. On review aggregator website AlloCiné, the film holds an average score of three and a half stars out of five, based on a survey of 18 reviews. [6]

Accolades

Award / Film FestivalCategoryRecipients and nomineesResult
Dragon Award [7] Best First Feature FilmNominated
Ensor Award [2] Best FilmNominated
Best DirectorVeerle BaetensNominated
Best ScreenplayVeerle Baetens and Maarten LoixNominated
Best Performance in a Leading RoleCharlotte De BruyneNominated
Rosa MarchantNominated
Best SoundGeert Vlegels and Pedro Van der EeckenNominated
Best Original ScoreBjorn ErikssonNominated
Best Costume DesignManu VerschuerenNominated
Magritte Award [8] Best Flemish Film Won
Sundance Film Festival [9] Grand Jury PrizeNominated
Best PerformanceRosa MarchantWon
World Soundtrack Award [10] Best Original ScoreBjorn ErikssonNominated

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References

  1. ↑ Vena, Teresa (30 January 2023). "Scrapper wins the World Cinema Dramatic Grand Jury Prize at Sundance". Cineuropa. Retrieved 15 October 2024.
  2. 1 2 "Dit zijn de genomineerden van De Ensors 2024" (in Dutch). De Ensor Academie. 4 January 2024. Retrieved 15 October 2024.
  3. ↑ "'Het smelt', het eerste filmproject van Veerle Baetens, krijgt prijs op het Filmfestival van Berlijn". Knack (in Dutch). 24 February 2020. Retrieved 15 October 2024.
  4. ↑ "Opnames van "Het smelt" gestart: Debuutroman van Lize Spit wordt regiedebuut van Veerle Baetens" (in Dutch). VRT. 9 August 2021. Retrieved 15 October 2024.
  5. ↑ Kudláč, Martin (8 December 2022). "An in-person Sundance returns with a raft of rising European voices". Cineuropa. Retrieved 15 October 2024.
  6. ↑ "Débâcle". AlloCiné (in French). Retrieved 3 October 2024.
  7. ↑ "When It Melts". Göteborg Film Festival. Retrieved 15 October 2024.
  8. ↑ Saint-Amand, François (8 March 2024). "Les Magritte du Cinéma 2024 : "Dalva" remporte sept Magritte dont le Meilleur film, découvrez le palmarès complet" (in French). RTBF . Retrieved 10 March 2024.
  9. ↑ Vena, Teresa (30 January 2023). "Scrapper wins the World Cinema Dramatic Grand Jury Prize at Sundance". Cineuropa. Retrieved 15 October 2024.
  10. ↑ "World Soundtrack Awards Winners & Nominees". World Soundtrack Awards. Retrieved 15 October 2024.
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