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Here is likely one of the most real movies I've seen lately. Therefore, despite having an extremely slow pace and a really thin plot, its captivating storytelling and true relationships make you feel as if you were watching a true reality show, without the fireworks and unnecessary commentary.

It doesn't offer much in terms of the story itself. It's a simple tale of a simple man, Stefan, who's living an ordinary life and looking for some purpose in his everyday struggles. We know that doing so isn't as easy as it sounds, and is actually a quite complicated goal amidst all the troubles of life. The director Bas Devos knows it all too well and sticks true to the movie's concept.

During the film, Stefan stumbles across Shuxiu. At first sight, they don't really have any connections, yet, in a typical human manner, it blossoms from the simplest of things and conversations. Their relationship slowly develops throughout the film, and is both complex and simple, which is quite paradoxical, but we get it. In the end, each of us had similar interactions in our lives as well.

The movie puts a strong emphasis on visual storytelling, focusing on nature and how it springs to life despite harsh conditions. I believe it's a metaphor for Stefan and Shuxiu's relationship, which, in the face of early contradictory essence, somehow begins to work as well.

On top of that, both Stefan and Shuxiu's relationships with other people are almost too natural for cinema.

Unfortunately, Here doesn't have much else to offer besides stunning visuals that feel right to have in a story like this. It may be enough for slow cinema fans, who are keen on simple stories. I personally wanted to get hooked on it, but there wasn't enough for me to hold onto. Still, you leave the cinema pretty moved, with a tiny smile on your face, due to the movie's sweet ending, which feels as if we've lived it ourselves, at least once in our lives.

The melting pot that is present day Europe should be an inspiration for more uplifting stories about the things that bind us as people. I would be hard pressed to find examples for this, the focus, both in the news and in cinema, being foremost on tension and conflict. It makes sense, conflict drives storytelling and keeps us engaged. Yet, here we are, in the world of Bas Devos, where human connection springs eternal from the most unexpected of sources.

This is a conflict-less story. Or, rather, a story that's not really about the conflict. My namesake Stefan, a Romanian construction worker living in Belgium, is about to travel back home, but needs to get his car fixed before leaving. He also needs to clear his fridge, so makes a big pot of soup out of whatever he finds.

This haphazardly concocted soup then proves a wonderous lubricant of the human spirit, it opens doors in a Balkanic tradition, but also forges moments of connection and intimacy, the way sharing food so often does. Per chance, in pre-departure to and fros, Stefan meets Shuxiu, a Belgian-Chinese woman who works on her doctorate about mosses, while also helping out one of her relatives who runs a small restaurant. It's the unlikeliest of connections, but perfectly in the spirit that Here inhabits.

At just 82 minutes, the movie is strikingly short. Especially if you get into its mood, it will lull you before you even realize it's ending. We are so used to our urban jungles, that nature takes on ever more mystical qualities. In the world of Here, nature provides, in all its delicate simplicity. Stefan Gota and Liyo Gong play their understated parts in this symphony and we feel immediately drawn to them, to join them. We are traveling back to the roots of our quintessential sense of connection, in an almost idealistic form of said conflict-less world. But it's not really a world without conflict, rather one where it has temporarily ceased and made room for tenderness.

Here is a moment in time, the proverbial here and now, which is the most blissful place to exist in. It's mischievously elusive, of course, but Bas Devos somehow manages to capture its essence in this movie, that has all the chances of growing on you and showing you true North. 8.

Saw this at the 2023 filmfestival in Ghant (Belgium). A minimal story about two people in Brussels, living their separate lives, meeting each other by accident a few times, and find a connection for some reason or other. No sex, nor any other intimate contact.

When the movie ends, they do not even know each other names, but still there is some bond. We see it grow gradually, mixed with images of Brussels' city nature that also gets its fair share of attention.

Seeing this movie had an unexpected side effect on me. When at home I started making soup from all sorts of remaining vegetables I had lying around, inspired by Stefan who had to clear his fridge before going back to his country. In Dutch, we call this madiwodo soup (does not translate, but is typically made by cafeterias at work on a Friday, out of remaining ingredients from the previous Mon/Tue/Wed/Thursday, or motuweth for short, not a pronounceable acronym).

Notwithstanding that the story went nowhere interesting, the lead actors and the way it is pictured was remarkably compelling. I'm not sure how the filmmakers do it, but it works even for a nerd like me who doesn't do feelings nor atmosphere.

"Here" is an interesting film from Belgium that underscores the difference between US and European films in their style. It won the Best Film award and the FIPRESCI Prize at the 2023 Berlin film festival in the Encounters section. It is based on its director Bas Devos' screenplay adapted from a 1988 essay written by the late US science fiction writer Ursula K Le Guin entitled 'The Carrier Bag Theory of Fiction.'

While essentially the film is a tale of love that gently grows between two persons in Brussels--a Romanian construction worker and a Belgian-Chinese doctoral-student bryologist (a scientist who studies mosses)--the film educates the viewer in science while telescoping moss as a metaphor on organic processes that rarely gain attention in the world today. To an astute viewer, "Here" offers more value than "Poor Things," another 2023 film adaptation of a sci-fi literary source. It is amusing to note the original literary work's title includes the words 'carrier bag' while the construction worker is often with a carry bag containing vessels of soup that he has cooked to give away to folks close to him.

Romanian builder "Stefan" (Stefan Gota) is quite adept at making soup! With his holidays looming he is clearing out his fridge and hoping to get his ageing jalopy fixed so he can travel. He is also a bit of an insomniac and wanders the streets at night exploring and cutting a rather lonely figure appearing to have few friends. That is until he is walking along a country path and encounters a lady (Liyo Gong) examining the mosses that grow freely. They have met before - in her aunt's Chinese restaurant, briefly, amidst a thunderstorm and he is intrigued with her scientific endeavours. She explains to him what she is doing and why, informing him that mosses were the first plants ever to grow on the Earth. The next few hours see him diverted from his mission to go collect his car, and for the two to share their afternoon together. Might anything come of it? Well, that's not really the point. Instead, this seems to be a gentle reminder of how much easier, especially when empowered by the power of his vegetable soup, it is for people to engage with easy other or friendly and curious terms. It's a momentary observation of not just human existence, but it also showcases the beauty of nature as it exists amidst our man-made concrete and brick environment. The rain also seems to serve an almost allegorical purpose, wiping the slate clean for another episode in his solitary yet open-minded and friendly life. It is a strangely compelling film to watch. There's no beginning, or end - just a middle, and the two actors deliver plausibly imbuing a certain not easily definable chemistry.

Attended this at the Gothenburg Film Festival and the still-life-inspired cinematography separates the chaff from the wheat in the first 30 minutes. After that it gets very interesting the more you get to know the 2 characters without even getting to know them that much at all. The experimental camera work is a chef's kiss with it's symbolic frames when the characters are alone versus together. A lot of the cinematography reminds me of Edward Hopper's art and the more the story unfolds it's adorable to follow the characters. It gets nerdy on a really wholesome level and such absolute gem to see.

The thing I love most about Bas Devos is his approach to allowing me to experience his films in a meditative state and how he just let you chill out and really feel what's going on with the characters. It's all so natural, like you're just experiencing daily life alongside them. His latest, "Here," kinda reminds me of his earlier film "Ghost Tropic" with its themes offering a more tender exploration of human connection and isolation.

This 16mm tender embrace, a visual poem of moss, invites us into the bittersweet lives of two strangers in Brussels. A chance encounter brings Stefan and Shuxiu together but parting ways is inevitable. Devos masterfully juxtaposes their inner worlds with the beauty of the natural world, creating a poignant contrast for this simplistic story. Th ending is a thoughtful choice, avoiding the need for both characters to engage in extended dialogue or monologues. And the ending? It's just perfect. No big speeches needed, Shuxiu's reaction says it all and just speaks volumes.

And it's not just about the great outdoors; there's also that quiet feeling of being indoors, meandering reflection on the transience of life. In the calm stillness of "Here," even simple things like a train's reflection or the rain-pelted window, so profound, especially with the way it's framed. It just creates this amazing sense of intimacy.

Intimacy.

Ultimately, "Here" is one of those films that just makes you want to slow down, notice the little beautiful things, and find a bit of comfort in all those fleeting moments we experience. It's a real gem.

This is the definition of an "artsy" and pretentious movie. Not just a STYLE OVER SUBSTANCE : There is nothing substantial here. Nothing meaningful, nothing that you're gonna remember it for a while. A shallow and hollow movie about Nothing. There is a guy who's obsessively making soups, a girl, at some point near the ending they met each other and take a trip into a Brussels park, and that's it.

I would be less hostile if this hadn't a 92/100 Metascore rating. Movie critics have totally lost any touch with reality.

Still, i gave it 5 stars because for some strange reason, i watched the whole movie without struggling. At some point, for 2 minutes, viewer watches only grass and roots and something like that, and it is less boring than it seems. Probably the best part. It's a sweet movie, nothing vile and twisted here, characters are boring and forgettable but likeable. And its running time helps a lot, it's only 80 minutes.

There is something soul soothing in this movie, and i cannot not appreciate, hence the 5 stars. But this is not Cinema. Just some nice shots are not enough for an artistic creation. There is no story here. It's more like a documentary than a movie.

An altruistic film. The cinematography is gorgeous. The composition is genius. With all the greenery scenes it's a refreshing look. A pallet cleanser.

Simply two average humans wandering around in their city with deep thoughts and no judgments as they scrutinize their day to day with questions about what is life. They stopped often to smell the roses to be present in the moment.

The pace is a slow burn on purpose. In order for this fim to be effective your heart rate needs to be relaxed. Almost as if you are in a meditative state. This film is an immersive art piece. It captures you and you use all your five senses. It reminds you that you are here.

This is one of the few films I have seen that shows more than plot and action. That is what humans, as we build our cities, seek because we are bored, frightened, and need to survive. But underlying all this activity is the quiet and organized intelligence of nature and the universe that most people will never see or acknowledge.

A cruder mind might find this film as dull as watching moss grow. But the spectacular in life is often not even noticed. We just need to get things done and move onto the next thing. For example, Stephan's, the main character's sister keeps saying she doesn't have time for a longer visit with him, even though he is leaving the country (Belgium) and may not return.

When one of his friends tells of a near death experience in which all the people who touched his soul surrounded him, Stephan saw something that redeems this life from just being a round of chores, sleeping, and eating.

When Stephan is introduced to the overlooked splendor of the huge variety of mosses that most people trample underfoot, he also experiences a light coming on in his life that gives it beauty.

It takes courage to go beyond rom-coms, action flicks, and political statements to produce a light that shines on the perfection of life right here.

Does anyone know the films of Bas Devo? I did not, but last night I saw «Here» (with the R backwards) and I loved it. It is beautiful. I do not know if perhaps this film and recent strikes have made me look at workers differently. It is what Reygadas, Martel, or Antonioni once tried to do, without reading workers' poetry that does not exist, the verses that go in their lunchboxes every day, that go in their little juices and their lunch of white rice with stewed whatever-it-is, and in the plastic bag of a Romanian worker in Brussels who makes soup... Do you know how many species of moss there are in the world? I do not know, but in the film they tell me there are thousands. The mosses are not worried about global warming or droughts, or that some rich idiots are humiliating the existence of indigenous people, through soldiers who cost a dime. There are the mosses, in unusual places, spreading life. And let what must happen, happen. Anyone want to see it while people goes to see «Superman»?