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.

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!

While Dutch/Belgian movies often try to replicate the big budget action (or suspense) from US cinema, they would be much better off trying to master the art of creating something charming and heartfelt within the budget range that is there. Like this film! No fancy effects or smoky rooms with people staring in the distance contemplating the state of the world, but actual people with actual needs and a little challenge at that.

Because what do you do when you're a young horny bloke, and paralysed? Or blind? Or dying? It's simple questions like this that probably arise a lot more in regular life than we (I) might think. Luckily, the Spanish have a solution: a bordello for just that sort of need. On with the road trip!

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.

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.