A Corridor Production
Montreal International Film Festival
MONTREAL -- "Any Way the Wind Blows" is an ambitious debut from Belgian rock star Tom Barman, who fronts the band dEUS. Barman introduced the movie as a film with "no story line, no drama and a lot of characters" at the Montreal World Film Festival, where it had its North American premiere. Although narrative is certainly dispersed, this likable movie had more to offer than that.
The film tracks eight characters and situations as they interact one Friday in Belgium's Antwerp. Protagonists include a couple of streetwise youths who make a living by sticking up posters, a disillusioned fiftysomething teacher, a strange loner who can seemingly invoke the power of the wind and a plethora of supporting players. Their small stories play out to an energetic backdrop of chatter and gossip, held together by the obvious enthusiasm of the director and a noisy, invigorating soundtrack that -- like dEUS -- mixes and matches musical styles.
It did good business in Barman's native Belgium, and the hip look and sounds should arouse some interest in Northern Europe. But the characters' exploits and humor may be too alien to connect with a young U.S. crowd.
Narrative is dispersed and editing is (perhaps intentionally) chaotic, but the characters are appealing enough to give the film a pull. So what could have been a pretentious, abstract experiment instead winds up having a lot of heart and soul. Cinematographer Renaat Lambeets works hard to keep the visuals interesting, working hard to find some off-kilter angles.
"Any Way the Wind Blows" falters occasionally when it slips into rock video mode. These scenes rely too much on a loud score and slow motion to wrack up the emotion. It's also too long. A cut of about 15 minutes -- doable because of the film's loose structure -- would help focus viewer attention. But overall, Barman has delivered an easygoing and adventurous debut.
The title has a dual musical connection, being both a Frank Zappa album and the last words of the Queen classic "Bohemian Rhapsody".
Montreal International Film Festival
MONTREAL -- "Any Way the Wind Blows" is an ambitious debut from Belgian rock star Tom Barman, who fronts the band dEUS. Barman introduced the movie as a film with "no story line, no drama and a lot of characters" at the Montreal World Film Festival, where it had its North American premiere. Although narrative is certainly dispersed, this likable movie had more to offer than that.
The film tracks eight characters and situations as they interact one Friday in Belgium's Antwerp. Protagonists include a couple of streetwise youths who make a living by sticking up posters, a disillusioned fiftysomething teacher, a strange loner who can seemingly invoke the power of the wind and a plethora of supporting players. Their small stories play out to an energetic backdrop of chatter and gossip, held together by the obvious enthusiasm of the director and a noisy, invigorating soundtrack that -- like dEUS -- mixes and matches musical styles.
It did good business in Barman's native Belgium, and the hip look and sounds should arouse some interest in Northern Europe. But the characters' exploits and humor may be too alien to connect with a young U.S. crowd.
Narrative is dispersed and editing is (perhaps intentionally) chaotic, but the characters are appealing enough to give the film a pull. So what could have been a pretentious, abstract experiment instead winds up having a lot of heart and soul. Cinematographer Renaat Lambeets works hard to keep the visuals interesting, working hard to find some off-kilter angles.
"Any Way the Wind Blows" falters occasionally when it slips into rock video mode. These scenes rely too much on a loud score and slow motion to wrack up the emotion. It's also too long. A cut of about 15 minutes -- doable because of the film's loose structure -- would help focus viewer attention. But overall, Barman has delivered an easygoing and adventurous debut.
The title has a dual musical connection, being both a Frank Zappa album and the last words of the Queen classic "Bohemian Rhapsody".
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.