2018-10-04
N/A
139 min
In one fell swoop, nine-year old David Van de Steen lost his mother, his father and his sister in an attack by the Brabant Killers in Aalst. His grandfather, Albert, has the well-nigh impossible task of giving David a new perspective on life, a future.
"Don't Shoot, That's my dad!"
These words still resonate days after I've watched this film. It's the first one in it's kind that addresses a dark page in Belgian history, you know the hellhole/Chocolate factory.
This takes us back to the mid 80's when a local gang committed several robberies on supermarkets, all with excessive violence and low loot. This 'Gang of Nijvel' always made a lot of casualties with military grade weaponry and precision.
Storywise this focuses on one family and their pain as they are all gunned down except the little boy who survives after he witnessed the murder of his entire family. A this is a true story, this is also very real as this person is still alive today and fighting against all odds to get it solved.
The movie does a great job in recreating these events and you can't help to cry a couple of times to the injustice in the investigation. You really feel the pain of the lead characters. Stijn Coninckx is truly our greatest director and once again he proves his worth in the shooting of this terrible tragedy.
Main lead is Jan Decleir, our greatest actor, and does a fine job as the grandfather who takes care of his grandson after the murders. Jonas Van Geel however does a terrible job as the grandson, he is a comedian and not suited for a drama role. Terrible miscast and the only downside in the best flemish movie of the year(s).
Conspiracy has always surrounded the dossier, the movie also shines a light on the several 'errors' in the investigation and the lack of goodwill to solve it. Since the tragedy the police has been rearmed with better material and a political drama was in the making. It seems there is some truth in this and that there were greater powers at work to destabilize our country. The movie doesn't end in a closure as it's still not solved.
