Moscow, Belgium

In many ways this movie that, astonishingly enough, has received some negative reviews, is indeed yet another familiar story about a woman, in this case, Matty, a frustrated mother of three who has been abandoned by her husband for a younger girl and who not only wonders what her life has been all about but particularly what the future holds in store for her now that she has reached the age of forty-one. Her chance encounter with a random trucker as the result of a minor traffic accident signifies a turning point in her life. Johnny, the trucker, is immediately infatuated with this woman who is twelve years his senior and his amorous attempts at seducing her, slowly lead Matty to the realization that not only is she still attractive as a woman but also that deep-down her emotions are still alive. As the story develops, the viewer learns that Johnny has a past and also a drinking problem and that Matty's estranged husband is making attempts to return to his family. Matty is caught in the middle and also has to deal with the ongoing sarcastic comments made by her eldest daughter ( a convincing role excellently performed by Anemone Valcke) Matty however grows stronger and more confident mainly as a result of the animosity between the two male contenders that is often more an expression of immature childish bickering than that of two grown-up males. She encounters more obstacles on the complicated road to self-realization but when in the final scene, we see her walking next to a rail road track and in a flash we are reminded of the vague thoughts she once expressed of ending her life under a train, we are quickly reassured by her convincing smile that although she cannot predict the future, at present, all is well. Barbara Sarafian's portrayal of Matty is excellent.Matty is a real woman but above all a (feminine) person: she worries about her age, her looks, her responsibilities, her future and her alternating feelings of hope and despair are wonderfully reflected in her appearance: at times she radiates real beauty while at others she's just another plain Jane.The men in her life are basically very weak:due to his own feelings of insecurity her husband is very dependent on her and burdens her with responsibilities he dare not (cannot?) take himself while her lover is somewhat too young and playful to be convincingly assertive. Jurgen Delnaet who plays Johnny succeeds brilliantly in portraying the rugged trucker in search of a strong woman who will guide him on his way and Johan Heldenbergh as the husband who's experiencing a mid-life crisis is very convincing. The dialog is natural and the acting of the whole cast, superb. A worthy contribution to modern Flemish film making.

The movie sets place in Moscow, a small Belgian town district of Ghent. Matty and Johnny, 2 very common people, collide and the movie starts. From that point on a romantic story starts with a lot of humor and hilarious scenes with genius dialogs which are rare in Belgian movies these days.

This movie separates itself from all other Belgian movies by placing the characters up front and their story. That makes the movie so realistic and gives it a personal touch to the audience so they can relate with them. Also the typical dialect of the population in Ghent gives another aspect to this movie. Whereas most Belgian movies are situated in Antwerp this movie takes viewers to another location and another atmosphere which is a welcome relieve for a lot of viewers. I'm giving it 9 out of 10 stars!

Screenwriters, Jean-Claude Van Rijckeghem and Pat van Beirs have written a script that gives us close scrutiny at a woman's character and how it slowly changes or bends as circumstances arise. They have done it well.

It is more often than not that one wold find character development like this in a "foreign" film. Maybe that is changing, and that would be a good thing. If we can trust that our audiences will watch characters interacting with one another, without the need for some cinematic shock, i.e. action, suspense, sex, etc, then we may have more movies like this in the U.S. I have nothing against action, suspense, sex, etc, it's just that we could use more movies that depict character studies.

Director, Christophe Van Rompaey takes the reins and nicely dramatizes this story about a domestic life, while holding back any temptation to rush.

Very nice performances are given by Barbara Sarafian, Jurgen Delnaet and Johan Hildenbergh.

Barbara Sarafian, Jurgen Delnaet, Johan Heldenbergh, Anemone Valcke, Sofia Ferri , Julian Borsani, Bob De Moor, Jits Van Belle and Griet van Damme

I don't usually write comments for any genres other than horror and cult movies, and definitely not for romantic comedies, but I gladly want to make an exception for this original and totally refreshing "feel-good" flick from my beloved home country Belgium. The film is an excellent effort, with spontaneous and identifiable characters, recognizable situations, genuine laughs and natural performances. There's a whole lot of typical stuff that only Flemish people will fully comprehend, like the excessive use of regional dialects for example, but the film can nevertheless appeal to international audiences due to the innovative twist on the usual romantic comedy formula and the unpretentious atmosphere throughout. The story takes place in the rather unusually named community Moscou; very near to the beautiful city of Ghent in Belgium. Matty, a 41-year-old mother of three children, is a sad and pitiably looking wreck ever since her husband left his family for an affair with a young student. It's been more than five months now and Matty still hopes that it's just a temporary fling and everything will get back to normal. When she has a banal little collision with a truck on the parking of a supermarket, she freaks out and loudly yells at the much younger truck driver. Since then, Johnny the robust and macho truck driver purchases the middle-aged woman and tries hard to seduce her. Matty, although in conflict with her persona and common sense, eventually falls for Johnny's playful charms … But then her husband chooses to return home. One of the several strengths of "Moscow, Belgium" (literally the title translates as "Collision in Moscow") are the everyday personalities of the characters. They're genuinely real people, with certain qualities but even more weaknesses, and react exactly like anyone else would react in particular situations. It's also fascinating how this type of story is something that can take place right next to your doorstep, so to speak. It's a film without explosions, car chases or spectacular stunts… just an absorbing story about people and the feelings they would rather oppress than enjoy. And it's funny! "Moscow, Belgium" isn't overly vulgar or absurd, like too many other nowadays comedies are, but the gags are always nicely timed and effective. Barbara Sarafian, ever since the release of this film an enormously popular actress in Belgium, gives a truly stellar performance as the emotionally troubled woman and she forms a terrific – albeit deviating – on screen couple with Jurgen Delnaet. There are also splendid supportive roles for Johan Heldenbergh as the rather despicable husband and Anemone Valcke as the rebellious teenage daughter.

Funniest dialogue of the entire film: daughter (upon hearing her mother spent the night with the trucker): "Mom, he's like twelve years younger than you are!" Mother (with a naughty grin still on her face): "Yeah … I felt that!"

We learn about them and are slowly drawn into caring about these individuals.. for that alone it's a terrific little film. It just has so many wonderful scenes, and there are several fine performances, coming from actors you in all probability have never seen or heard of before. Barbara Sarafian.. bit.ly/16qn7oL .. is of special note... she is from start to finish superb. Read a great line about her performance in the film.. "Sarafian is acting every second she's on screen, yet you never catch her at it." As for the two lead characters.. do they 'make it' and ultimately stay together.. who knows, but they have given us allot of enjoyment just in meeting up. Watch it.. you will enjoy it.