The Ardennes (2015)

Awesome Movie

The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

A break in goes bad and Kenny (Kevin Jassens) gets left behind and takes the rap as his girlfriend Sylvie (Veerle Baetens) and brother Dave (Jeroen Perceval, co-writer) get away. Four years later Kenny gets out of prison to find things have changed. Dave works at a car wash and Sylvie is a cocktail waitress in group. What Kenny does not know and no one will tell him, is that his former girlfriend is now the girlfriend of his brother Dave.Kenny still lives by his emotions and drags the unwilling Dave into things, as Dave has trouble drawing the line with his brother.This is a Belgian crime/drama production with English subtitles. The film utilized the slow scenes to build character and to show us how Dave and Sylvie have moved on. Kenny suspects Sylvie is seeing someone else and believes it to be her boss, someone he grew up with as a child. The ending had a twist which I didn't see coming. This is a low budget film that lacks formula writing. Kudos.Guide: F-word, sex, nudity (Veerle Baetens)

Dave and Kenneth are brothers and are on the wrong side of the law. They attempt a robbery and it all goes to hell in a hand cart, but Dave manages to escape leaving his brother to take the rap – and he does.Move on four years and Kenneth is out and he wants to make up for lost time. He also cant accept that his brother has had the temerity to grow up and start acting like an adult. He also wants back with his ex- girlfriend but she has other ideas and he involvement with both brothers becomes pivotal to how things spiral.Now this is gritty but it is a lot of psychological pain before the actual real pain kicks in. The acting is great and the cinematography very well done and it is in Flemish, but this is in the Antwerp dialect which has upset a few observers as it is a bit on the 'common' side. However it also adds to the realism of the piece – all in all though a very commendable film indeed.

Dave and Kenny are brothers and robbers. After a failed robbery attempt Kenny goes to prison, he kisses his girlfriend Sylvie good bye, she promises to wait for him but ultimately abandons him and starts dating his brother Dave (without telling Kenny anything, of course). OK, these things do happen. When Kenny is released from prison, Dave and Sylvie decide to keep their relationship secret (just for no reason). Kenny gets suspicious, confronts Sylvie but she still does not want to tell him the truth. Eventually Kenny finds out, goes insane and kills Sylvie. This is it. The end of the story. Why on earth was this movie made? What is the point? No answers. The characters are really dumb and lacking the kind of psychological depth or anything else that might make us sympathize with them, the plot is thin and unconvincing. Tec contribution is solid although the movie was made on a relatively low budget.

I've been a member of IMDb for over 10 years but this is my first review. When I saw this movie didn't have any reviews I felt compelled to write one.I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. Being Flemish I probably enjoyed the dialects even more but don't let this stop you to go see this movie. The plot is excellent, there is never a dull moment throughout the movie. The cinematography is top notch, the choice of locations are excellent, a really Flemish setting: the home of the boys, the discotheque, the self- help group, forest, etc. What sets apart this movie were both the performances of the actors and the authentic music throughout the movie. Not only are Kevin Janssens and Veerle Baetens great actors, Jeroen Perceval was great as well, being the writer of this movie. My hat off for the performances of the mother of the brothers and the car-wash owner (Peter Van den Begin) who did an excellent job portraying the character! What I also liked are the little jokes in this movie, it's those things that lift a good movie to the next level of excellence.This movie is yet another sign we should be proud of Flemish movies! Imho: Oscar material!If you haven't seen this, go see it now, you won't be disappointed!