Any Way the Wind Blows

This is a polarizing movie and i am not sure if i can recommend it. I understand the reasons why one may find it boring or meaningless. But most of people who were young in the 00's, will probably like it. A perfect time capsule foor this decade which was probably the last decade in which people were carefree and hopeful or at least, the world didn't seem so hostile, dangerous and instable.

This movie captures 00's Zeitgeist, and i am not saying that people were wise back then, on the contrary. It captures the naivety, people were having fun, those were less nihilistic times and more hopeful.

This is a simple movie with simple stories. A fun ride. Nothing hilarious nor dramatic, just young people (mostly) who were just living the moment. A perfectly enjoyable movie. Empty your head, lower your expectations and remember how the Western world was back then. I miss those days and that's the reason i liked that movie even though it's uneventful and basically, it's a movie about Nothing.

Still, i would have rated i higher but it fell flat during the last 15-20 minutes. Ending is really weak, the worst part of this movie.

Nice music.

This Belgian film, directed by Tom Barman, singer of the well-known group dEUS, will not be favoured by everyone. For the simple reason that there isn't a clear story or even a plot. This movie just shows 24 hours in "a city" (here Antwerp) and allows you to watch and truly enjoy the dialogues, the directing, the humorous (Dario!, the osteopath Bruno!, ...) and tragic (Windman, Paul Garcin, ...) characters.

There are several memorable scenes: the Windman on the beach, the dance party at the end, the KISS-fan, Windman visits the osteopath,...

Clearly some other viewers didn't understand what's so beautiful and interesting in this movie. They complain that this movie has no story, etc. But it's the atmosphere that keeps you watching and that will drag you into it.

If you didn't watch it yet, be sure to listen carefully to the music. The soundtrack is extraordinary just like Tom Barman and his group dEUS.

And "ssst, mondje dicht hé." (don't tell anyone)

Tom Barman's Any Way The Wind Blows is a great movie, but (big BUT here) do not try to find a coherent story here. The movie is a mosaic of lives in Antwerp, Belgium, in June. We follow these people during whatever they do on this Friday. The most have only one thing in common: They end up at the same party that night.

The film is beautifully shot, the actors are all great, the dialogue is loose and realistic, the direction is terrific, but the one thing that makes this film really stand above most of the films made in Western Europe nowadays is... The Soundtrack (with capitals). I own it and it's on of the best compilations I have ever heard! Dance, rock, jazz, instrumental... It's all there. And it brings the film to a higher level.

Mind you, this is not a film for everybody, but for the people who are not afraid to see something else than the usual slick fare that is, alas, too common nowadays. And remember: "Although life is short, you have to perform all the miracles that you can..."

Barman just wanted to make a movie because he wanted to. Just as simple as that, and he succeeded. Not only in his goal, but also in making a wonderful movie, especially visually. He knows how to use pans, slow-motion sequences, tracking shots, crane shots, etc. in a beautiful, smooth way. This gives the movie a very relaxing feel to it.

The story is about the lives of 8 very different characters who have nothing in common except one thing: a party that they all attend to, which also is the turnpoint of this movie. The beauty of this picture lies not in the question how the characters have effect on eachother (in comparance with a similar, of course better movie like Magnolia). I simply don't think that that was Barman's idea. The beauty lies in the different details of experiences that people go through which makes or breaks their lives. Barman is very successful in telling those little stories that describe little experiences. He knows people..... and Antwerp.

The soundtrack of the movie is also excellent, but not a surprise as we know that Barman is also a very succesful songwriter and musician with his band dEUS. The music is sometimes hot and at the same time relaxing which contributes to the sunny, smooth feel of the movie. Other times we hear funky pop/rock-melodies which give some scenes the strength that they need.

There's only one flaw, and that's the last half an hour. Was it the runtime, which was breaking me up? Or weren't the last scenes that fresh and accurate than the scenes until then? I can't figure it out...

All in all a beautiful sunny movie which lifts the Belgian cinema up.

8 out of 10!

(It's the breeze that flows through a girl's hair on a sunny afternoon making her even more beautiful; it's the fresh breeze that makes you relax when it passes you at a crowded party when someone opens the door; it's the breeze that carries the perfume from that beautiful girl sitting next to you in the park who you just met a week ago; it's the breeze.....)

I really liked Tom Barman's AWTWB. You just have to let it come over you and enjoy it while it lasts, and don't expect anything. It's like sitting on a café-terrace with a beer, in the summer sun, and watching the people go by. It definitely won't keep you pondering afterwards, that's true, but that's not a prerequisite for a good film. It's just the experience during the movie that's great.

I felt there were a few strands that could have been worked out a little more, but being a Lynch fan I don't care that much anymore :)

And I *loved* the style, or flair of this movie. It's slick, but fresh, and the soundtrack is a beauty. Any music-lover will get his kicks out of AWTWB, I can assure you.

I'll give it 8 out 10.

(music-wise 10 out of 10)