Corentin Van Leuven / Belgium / 10 minutes
Synopsis
Fred is a postman. In the small village where he has just moved in, people are nice, maybe excessively. But Mr Barry, who invites him for a coffee, seems really deranged.
« Le Chasseur » divided us. We preselected it, then put it aside because of a few undeniable weaknesses. However, some of us would regularly come back to it: « The Belgian short-film was interesting all the same ». So we reconsidered it from every angle… Why did we have the feeling that it could find its place into our festival?
1) Efforts with technique
The opening turns out to be quite good, and symptomatic of what will work or not throughout the film. The piano theme matches very well, the directing is flowing, the editing pleasant. On the other hand, we start feeling a few imperfections within the image (inconsistent light) and sound (mixing of the voices not always enjoyable); these problems will sometimes intensify thereafter, with untamed daylight’s variations as well as several lines almost inaudible (gravels interfering with the sound-take for instance).
2) Classicism & Originality
The synopsis is clear: « Le Chasseur » opts for basics. Cornering an innocent character (thus the audience) in an awkward situation and making the menace grow: a typical element of thrillers.
Here, suspense is effective. The classic writing— a bit too classic for some formal dialogs that we would’ve preferred subtler— achieves its goal. Tension increases slowly, until apogee, strengthened by a good music and some unexpected searches with framing.
Worth noting that concerning the outcome (which we won’t reveal), the scenario permits itself a very opportune ambiguity. What is real? What was? What is fancied? If some viewers will remain frustrated for not being sure about the story they’ve just been told, we appreciate that the film gives free rein to hypotheses: its singularity gets stronger.
Flaw: a few cuts a little fast in the last part; and regarding the very ending, the last sentence makes a good conclusion, but the closing credits seem to cut off the characters.
3) An endearing film…
…And this is probably the main aspect that decided us to include it in our selection. The juxtaposition of this ambivalent universe, experimentations to darken it, and its sincerity in tributes to genre films, makes the result strangely charming.
This delightful freshness is also to be found in the cast’s performance: even if the acting (like the dialogs) could be better, Cédric Vaes stands out, thanks to his naive look and touching character, with an impenetrable fragility that brings a lot to the film.
Conclusion
With more precautions to circumvent some technical traps, and more time to refine the acting, we would have been unanimous. However the director knows for sure how to build a solid atmosphere, and Corentin Van Leuven’s passion is palpable in every second of the story. Pleasure received!
U.N.
« Le Chasseur » joins official selection for the Little Croco Festival’s first edition, nominated in the Thriller category.
Trailer:
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