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Preview by: Jack Foley
ONE OF the surprise indie packages of the forthcoming London
Film Festival could well be the Belgian film, Ultranova, if advance
word is anything to go by.
Sandra Hebron, artistic director, refers to it as a 'small gem
of a film' that 'is one of the discoveries of the year'.
Ultranova was written and directed by Bouli Lanners and is described
further as a droll and understated piece of cinema that delivers
simple but genuine pleasures.
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Set in and around Liege's semi-industrial
hinterland, the film follows the fortunes of Dimitri, an introvert
who makes his living as one of a team of estate agents charged
with the unenviable task of selling starter homes in drab locations.
Following a chance meeting with a girl Dimitri begins a tentative
romance that seems doomed to falter.
To add to his woes, Dimitri's workmates have problems of their
own which are drawn in typically elliptical fashion as befits
the low key tone of the film.
Lanners trained as a landscape painter and uses this background
to apparently lend the film its distinctive look, which is complimented
by an atmospheric score from Jarby McCoy.
The film that results deftly balances melancholia and mirth to
deliver what could well become one of the unexpected treats of
the festival.
It only runs for 86 minutes and can be booked for showing on
October 21 and 23.
Read further details
of the 49th bfi Times London Film Festival
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