London Premiere / Best Debut Feature Nominee

* Chance to win a brand new Epiphone electric guitar at the screening

Rotten Tomatoes' Editor's Choice

Short Synopsis

A low-key Belgian rock band take on a formerly famous drummer to complete their line-up in a "battle of the bands" contest.

Review

Based on the off beat novel by Hermann Brusselmans, Dries, a famous author is asked to play the drums for a motley group of rockers. The band have decided that their unique selling point will be that each of them has a handicap. Singer Koen claims a speech impediment, bass player Jan a stiff arm since childhood while guitarist Ivan is deaf. When Dries agrees to join as drummer, he decides his handicap will be that he can't play the drums.

Dries is intrigued by this trio of misfits whose low rent lives are light years away from his own, which comes complete with swanky penthouse and sexually adventurous girlfriend. He suspects the trio's real handicaps are  their lifestyles. One is a the parent of a small child whose hobby is beating up women, one literally spends his days upside down, while the third keeps his father permanently tied to the bed as his bald mother gets it on with one of his colleagues.

From the opening credits where the film plays out in reverse and title cards are cleverly integrated into the production design, it's clear this is one of the most original films of the year. While it is likely to offend everyone and anyone  - sex, violence misogyny, homophobia - you name it, it's all there - in true rock 'n roll style Mortier powers his way through. Most shocking of all, however, is that this wild ride of a film is a debut for the stunningly talented  writer/director, Koen Mortier.

Suzanne Ballantyne