Hasta la vista

This film (English title "Come as you are") is a low key gem, a Flemish mini-treasure, that will linger in your memory for quite some time.

The BBC-2 TV channel in the UK screened it in early December 2015 , with subtitles in English (much of the dialogue is in Flemish and French), and some of my neighbors mentioned it to me, saying that word-of-mouth was positive about the film.

It's a charming, engaging, bittersweet road-trip. Hard to find fault with it in any serious way. I suspect this film will last the test of time.

So I hope the investors got a handsome return from this worthy effort.

I enjoyed this movie particularly because it is so different. You have three friends, young men with various handicaps, they want to live their life as it is and make the most of it, despite their condition. The most handsome of them is also the one that has to face the most serious and life threatening condition... Overall it is about friendship, love of course but most importantly being alive in the true sense of the word. Experiencing novelty, seeking and trying... not giving up. In the face of the most feared element of one's life... that is death. There is no running away from it, but making the most of one's life until the inevitable happens. There is sadness in the movie, throughout, even when dreams come true. But there is also pure humor. Very recommended.

Normally I like the original European film much better than the American remake. However, this time I prefer the American remake more. The characters in here are less developed, and I do not care as much for them as I hope I would. Their journey is less entertaining and fun to watch too.

You really have to give credit to the filmmakers for tackling this very tough subject matter! Especially because they're not steering off to cliché country. That doesn't mean it isn't predictable, but that it feels and looks honest. The three main actors do have a lot of to work with and they'll get their moment to "shine" (no pun intended). But "Claude" is also a great character.

Even when the characters feel annoying, you can't be too mad at them. But you can see where all the conflict is coming from. It's not easy sometimes to walk that fine line (no pun intended), when it comes to character likability. Watch it if you like good and believable drama!

I went to watch this film last night with a bunch of teammates after a horrific practice. And this was just what we needed!

'Hasta la Vista' has its moments where your eyes tear up with joy and laughter as well as wanting to cry your heart out just moments later. The chemistry between the trio (or perhaps I should say foursome) of actors comes across as very real and the story is truly wonderful. At times, it wanders off onto the path of predictability, but then again, which film tries to completely steer clear of this (succesful) route?

In conclusion, this is a very nice flick. The humour, the sadness, the like-ability of the actors along with the great acting all cumulates into a very enjoyable film where it's hard not to root for them to reach their goal.

And for those interested, our night ended with some of us dancing on tables in one of the better bars in Antwerp, and I like to think it was 'Hasta la Vista' that set the mood perfectly.