Image

Adil El Arbi may be of Moroccan descent but his film are actually as bad as the Flemish ones. Image is about a female journalist from Gent who wants to climb the media ladder by making a documentary about the Moroccan immigrants in Brussels and showing them in a different light. Unfortunately the film seems the confirm all the clichés people have about these people which makes them hard to like. If the main character Lahbib is supposed to be a criminal with a heart of gold then they failed miserably in fleshing out the last part. But it's not only the immigrants who come of as scumbags, the Flemish characters (the media people) are hardly better. Gene Berrevoets plays an aging news anchor who wants to keep his position no matter what. He, and the rest of the people who work in the fictional television station are just unlikable assholes. The film somehow seems to insinuate the media is the sole guilty party for the bad representation of the immigrants while the film itself just keeps confirming the racial stereotypes. The story is rather badly written, predictable, lacks an emotional core and characters viewers can identify with. I haven't seen 'Black', the 2015 film of the same director, but from what I've heard the director seems to be making the same mistakes again.

It's a shame this film will probably remain in relative obscurity since it might offer people a different perspective on immigrants in large cities such as Brussels.

"Image" centers around Eva, a young reporter making a documentary on the life of immigrants after riots occurred in a poverty-stricken area in Brussels. She meets Lahbib, a young Arab man who's notorious but loved by the people in his neighborhood. Although Lahbib's a tough guy who lives in a rough part of town, the more time they spend together, the more he shows his vulnerable side. This vulnerable side makes you sympathize with Lahbib which seems to be the whole point of the film, to look past first impressions.

As Eva gets more involved with Lahbib's life and crosses the documentary's deadline, her boss starts breathing down her neck and a conflict ensues. We get to see how the media mainly focuses on the negative stuff that happens in these communities because that's what's good for ratings, unfortunately.

The cinematography beautifully captures Brussels' gritty, urban atmosphere. It's well balanced, containing drama, romance, comedy, great social commentary without feeling preachy and a surprising, unconventional ending. If I had to point out some minor flaws, it would be the overuse of suspenseful music and the lead actress's wooden, sometimes awkward delivery. Other than that it's excellent.

Kudos to the directors Adil El Arbi en Bilall Fallah for making an awesome, captivating film!

I highly recommend it,it has it all !!! Action thriller romance it keeps you sitting at the edge of your seat the whole time. Just absolutely incredible. The acting was incredible, so real, it is such a bold movie really showing how life is and how media manipulates everything. Very daring subject but absolutely amazing, opens your eyes to the reality of today.Amazing what these 2 guys have accomplished on such a tight budget, seriously one of the best movies I have ever seen. I would like to praise Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah for their astonishing, outstanding job on this movie, these guys are going to make it! Can't wait for the next movie !!!

As a Belgian not having much knowledge of the going-on's in Brussels this movie is definitely a must-see. Made by a Moroccan director this movie captures the difficulties of the situations around the suburbs and the representation of its people. Showing mere images can't give you a full context of the things that occur in these places. And although director Adil El Arbi tries to give the immigrants some more personality, the stereotypes never really get neglected. Sometimes the image doesn't tell the whole story.