Linkeroever

The director sure spent most of his effort on the sex scenes, leaving the "horror" to be filmed in a shaky, dark, style.

This was not a scary movie, as a matter of fact, not much happens in the first half at all, except for a very gratutitious sex scene. Lots of sex scenes, and nudity.

Not much horror. Meh.

LEFT BANK is the story of a track runner named Marie (Eline Kuppens) and her unexpected journey into the realm of the unknown.

Marie meets Bob (Matthias Schoenaerts), who seems like a wonderful guy. As their relationship develops, Bob becomes increasingly mysterious, with possible occult involvement.

The atmosphere is gloomy and foreboding throughout the movie's running time. It starts out very calm, subtly growing more claustrophobic and dread-filled, reaching a frenzied pace near the end. That's when the finale drops on you like a bomb!

Then, just when all hope is certainly lost, it happens. Something so unforeseen that it might make you cry, even as your jaw hits the floor.

If you enjoy supernatural conspiracy films, then LEFT BANK belongs on your watchlist...

I'm an American w/ some familiarity w/ Antwerp and I enjoyed seeing it on film. The influence of Rosemary's Baby is obvious. While this is not in the same league, it does have some things going for it: good photography and music and 2 good leads: Schoenaerts and Eline Kuppens. (I'm not sure how good Schoenaerts is but he's nude 5 minutes after it begins so I can forgive a lot.) Probably the weak link here is the screenplay. The ending makes no sense whatsoever but getting there was enjoyable enough that I didn't much care. Atmospherics, mood, that kind of thing can be incredibly important in a film and Left Bank is quite good in the mood department. It helps too, of course, that the film is anchored by 2 strong performances.

Set in a region of Antwerp with a dark Medieval past, the mood of this flick is one of which the sun would not rather spill its radiance upon, instead hiding behind of wall of cloudy gloom, infinitely waiting for the darkness below to pass such that it can make its tardy appearance. It has been a long wait, and this flick offers no reprieve. Instead, this tale is of the seedy underbelly of ineffable undertakings, and our heroine must learn first hand of that which is best left on the other side. Eline Kuppens does just that in her commendable debut, laudably including enough skin to impress a taxidermist. This atmospheric horror from Belgium, a place not known for great horror, is the exception to its usually mediocrity, crafting stories of past times into a sweet little cringer. Maybe this country, known more for its border intrusive neighbors, is set upon changing its stale cinematic presence. Whether the exception or the vanguard, Left Bank is an unusual treat from an even more unusual source. Merci beaucoup.

Genruk of Evil Eye Reviews

It is so obvious that Roman Polanski's REPULSION, ROSEMARY'S BABY or LE LOCATAIRE, with also a slight touch of David Cronenberg's spirit, inspired this movie and many many others. But after all, why not? It is efficient, tense, riveting, you can not be deceived by such a film. And the Belgian film industry is specialized in "offbeat" movies, sometimes disturbing, not destined to wide audiences. This film is the best example of this, and the impact is emphasized by the fact that it shows ordinary people in whom the audience can recognizes itself. I don't know what else this director offered besides this one, seemingly Tv stuff, series episodes. And, look out for a new comer: Mathias Schoenaerts in a supporting character.