Ultranova

Actoir Bouli Lanner's feature directorial debut is a quite under-spoken film, which tells the story about a disillusioned and lonely young man, Dimitri, living in the gray and tired outskirts of the Belgian city Liege. Dimitri works as an real estate agent, together with a couple of other men equally challenged with their own demons.

A chance meeting with Cathy at a neighbors party changes his life drastically, and this is the charm of the film, because it's introduction is quite hard to swallow. It's so bleak and boring, that I struggled with enjoying the movie at first.

The film is slow moving, and kept in very bleak colors, and I would have enjoyed that the color-palette had changed along with the story. It doesn't change, of course. Still the acting is good, and Dimitri changes drastically, even in his own eyes.

The film gives associations towards films by Aki Kaurismäki or Bruce MacDonald, or even Jim Jarmusch. Strange, under-spoken, everyday lives with occasionally odd happenings around situations we all know quite well.

Many good intentions, but still not on the level of the three mentioned masters of this art.

'Ultranova' is a movie that leaves open some space for discussion. Not only the 'lack' of a story, as some say, but the main theme is an interesting one.

When I first saw the movie I couldn't help thinking directly of another movie from Wallonie, 'C'est arrivé pres de chez vous', which has an obviously different subject, but can function as some stuff to compare with nonetheless. The dejecting image that is being given in the movie of the region is comparable. The inhabitants seem doomed to end their lives unhappy and surrounded by a landscape that never gives one a warm feeling. Every character has her or his story, a trauma, and every character seems, in some way, silly. But when evaluating or watching beyond the first layer of the movie, it seems pretty clear that the main theme is how to cope with loneliness and deep grieve. No one in the movie has someone who really cares for someone, but everyone is looking for affection. Dimitri, the main character, who, I must note here, is perfectly acted by Lecuyer, tries to find love with Cathy, but she just seems interested in solving her own problems. Finding the path, and not slipping away from the road, trying to find the way in a world that seems cold and incomprehensible, is hard - so it seems. The lack of hope (and not the lack of story!) is perhaps for some people that watch the movie terrifying. But then they should ask themselves, doesn't 'Ultranova' give some hopes for a 'supernew' beginning, with some pain the lifeline can be changed... whether that choice is good or bad, no one knows. But we must go on.

So the movie is inspiring, more than it is dejecting, in my opinion. Great movie.

People who like fascinating storytelling may be disappointed with this film. However, its strength lies not in the story but in its way of conveying certain feelings and moods. Themes like existence and.. well.. the meaning of life I guess are highlighted through the cinematography/art direction (e.g. landscapes of heavy Belgian industry in metal blue and grey and green colours) and the soundtrack (cool minimalistic electronic beats) instead of words. At the premiere in Berlin director and actors received standing ovations and prolonged cheering in Kino International. I think it deserved a prize for art direction at least.