User Reviews

Saw this at the Ghent film festival 2015, where it was part of the official opening night. Programming a Belgian movie at a Belgian film festival may seem suspicious if not chauvinistic. On the other hand, for a prestigious film festival like Ghent's, we can safely assume they present something at the opening night deserving such an advantageous position. And indeed, it was worthy of its place. The one negative is the potential problem I see upfront due to the uneven genre mixing, criminal action next to family drama. It may not attract its intended audience, or others having bought tickets may find themselves misplaced during a screening.

The story starts with the immediate aftermath of a failed home jacking. We never see or hear the ugly details, only what is shown to us in the opening scene where Dave enters the getaway car, obviously in sheer panic, while uttering words along the line that it all went very wrong and that they need to leave forthwith. When asked what happened with their mate Kenneth, no real answer is given. Later on we see Kenneth in court where he is sentenced to 7 years in prison, the maximum penalty due to his crime history. What really happened when he was left behind on the crime scene, remains unclear. Nevertheless, it still burdens their relationship when Kenneth is released after 4 years. We can only assume that Dave's failed part in the home jacking never became public, and that guilty secret is used by Kenneth after his release to blackmail Dave, pushing Dave to actions he actually abhors, stretching Dave's resolution to live as a law abiding citizen to the limit.

And there is a second guilty secret, of a completely different category. Dave wants to tell Kenneth something all along, but we see that he never succeeds in finding the right moment or the right words. It has to do with Kenneth's former girl friend Sylvie, who we see initially as member of a self-help group, where she is applauded for staying drugs free for 2 years. It happens that the same Sylvie is pregnant from Dave, and that they are on the lookout for a home on their own. Hence it is logical that we see Dave avoiding involvement in any of Kenneth's actions. Moreover, for the sake of their worrying mother, Dave keeps a continuous eye on Kenneth, and even follows him on a distance on various occasions. Including the worrying mother, these are the four main protagonists that carry the story from start to finish.

Kenneth's outfit, posture and hairstyle suggest overly clear (too much?) that he is a loose cannon without any intention for a career change. His behavior is overbearing from the outset, at first merely pushy yet without violence, but losing more and more restraints later on. In the last half hour, it escalates beyond control, thereby gaining nothing in the end and leaving only losers. His brother Dave succeeds in keeping his hands clean, though ultimately involved in an act of deadly force albeit as a matter of self-defense.

We witness a lot of violence in the proceedings, but it is an inherent part of the story and not filmed just for shocking purposes. Most of the violence is suggested rather than shown in raw detail. Nevertheless, it leaves a depressed feeling on the viewer, at least that happened to me, by demonstrating that there are really people who think and live that way, and assume their own goals to be important enough to harm other people in the process.

All in all, the focus of the story changes back and forth from criminal action to the relationship between the two brothers and the family members around them. Violence and crime are not the main ingredient, only the binding element to show how the relationship between the two brothers develops, given aforementioned guilty secrets kept from the outside world as well as between themselves. Though the violence is not made explicit, the criminal actions tend to distract from the real story that ultimately carries the drama. Viewers who are interested in action movies, will not be happy with the emphasis on family relationships. Viewers who are interested in family drama, will be discouraged by the crimes that overshadow a considerable number of scenes. In other words, a mixed bag that will not satisfy either category of viewers. Yet, well made and well-acted, but the final product is just above average by trying to humor two categories of viewers who both will leave the theater disappointed.

Flemish. Kenny, a social misfit, is getting out of a four year stint in the slammer. he has left behind his girl friend Sylvie and his younger brother, dave. dave and Sylvie fell in love while Kenny was away and she is pregnant with dave's baby. *SPOILER ALERT* anyone who has ever been to a movie will know that things like this don't usually turn out so well. Kenny has a hard time on the sea of life and before long kills the guy he thinks was hitting on Sylvie. he gets dave to help him get rid of the body and things really get sticky. there are twists and turns galore. the lead, kevin jannsens, is very intense but his brother, jeroen Perceval holds his own. it's a very "b" movie, but once it gets going it doesn't stop to take a breath until the end. so the clichés are easily forgiven, in my book. go along for the ride. I really don't think you'll be disappointed.

Dave and Kenny are brothers and robbers. After a failed robbery attempt Kenny goes to prison, he kisses his girlfriend Sylvie good bye, she promises to wait for him but ultimately abandons him and starts dating his brother Dave (without telling Kenny anything, of course). OK, these things do happen. When Kenny is released from prison, Dave and Sylvie decide to keep their relationship secret (just for no reason). Kenny gets suspicious, confronts Sylvie but she still does not want to tell him the truth. Eventually Kenny finds out, goes insane and kills Sylvie. This is it. The end of the story. Why on earth was this movie made? What is the point? No answers. The characters are really dumb and lacking the kind of psychological depth or anything else that might make us sympathize with them, the plot is thin and unconvincing. Tec contribution is solid although the movie was made on a relatively low budget.

I've been a member of IMDb for over 10 years but this is my first review. When I saw this movie didn't have any reviews I felt compelled to write one.

I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. Being Flemish I probably enjoyed the dialects even more but don't let this stop you to go see this movie. The plot is excellent, there is never a dull moment throughout the movie. The cinematography is top notch, the choice of locations are excellent, a really Flemish setting: the home of the boys, the discotheque, the self- help group, forest, etc.

What sets apart this movie were both the performances of the actors and the authentic music throughout the movie. Not only are Kevin Janssens and Veerle Baetens great actors, Jeroen Perceval was great as well, being the writer of this movie. My hat off for the performances of the mother of the brothers and the car-wash owner (Peter Van den Begin) who did an excellent job portraying the character! What I also liked are the little jokes in this movie, it's those things that lift a good movie to the next level of excellence.

This movie is yet another sign we should be proud of Flemish movies! Imho: Oscar material!

If you haven't seen this, go see it now, you won't be disappointed!

Kenny, who was the only one to get punished for a failed homejacking, emerges from prison after four years. Imprisonment has not mellowed his temper - on the contrary, he is a simmering cauldron full of racism, frustration and resentment. Kenny's brother Dave does not dare to confess that he is now living with Kenny's ex-girlfriend, let alone that the said ex-girlfriend is pregnant with his child...

"D'Ardennen" is a remarkably bold and confident crime movie / psychological drama from Belgium. It tells the story of two Flemish brothers - both of them a product of a chaotic and disenfranchised environment - who fall victim to their own vices and weaknesses. It is obvious from the outset that this story is not going to end well, but the how and why of the brothers' blood-drenched ruin remains interesting. The movie works up to a particularly grim and violent resolution - bloodshed ! betrayal ! ostriches ! - and a diabolical twist.

The acting is outstanding, especially from the three protagonists. The various locations too are well chosen and well filmed. The Ardennes, for instance, are no longer the beloved summer holiday destination of o so many happy Flemings, but a grim woodland area where everything and anything can be made to disappear : cars, weapons, corpses. Simple trees have rarely looked so sinister.

Sign of the times : when I was young, most inhabitants of the Ardennes only had to worry about escaped boars. (Smuggling and rustling boars was, and remains, a local speciality. I remember many a majestic investigation where pensive policemen or gendarmes would ponder the essential inscrutability of things, over a bottle of Maitrank.) Nowadays people can worry about escaped ostriches, too.

A break in goes bad and Kenny (Kevin Jassens) gets left behind and takes the rap as his girlfriend Sylvie (Veerle Baetens) and brother Dave (Jeroen Perceval, co-writer) get away. Four years later Kenny gets out of prison to find things have changed. Dave works at a car wash and Sylvie is a cocktail waitress in group. What Kenny does not know and no one will tell him, is that his former girlfriend is now the girlfriend of his brother Dave.

Kenny still lives by his emotions and drags the unwilling Dave into things, as Dave has trouble drawing the line with his brother.

This is a Belgian crime/drama production with English subtitles. The film utilized the slow scenes to build character and to show us how Dave and Sylvie have moved on. Kenny suspects Sylvie is seeing someone else and believes it to be her boss, someone he grew up with as a child. The ending had a twist which I didn't see coming. This is a low budget film that lacks formula writing. Kudos.

Guide: F-word, sex, nudity (Veerle Baetens)

"D'Ardennen"(The Ardennes) is a rather raw and gritty film. It attempts to be a family drama while also being a bit of a crime story and the two genres blend decently. Sometimes, the changeover between genres throughout can be distracting, never allowing the viewer to fully sink their teeth into the storyline, which can ultimately lead to an unsatisfying experience for some. For me, however, it was still a very good watch. The cast is great here, including multiple characters from other movies in the same realm (Borgman, Bullhead, Rust and Bone, etc). This is a dark film in lighting and in its material. The story revolves around two brothers named Dave and Kenny who live a life of crime until one of them leaves behind the other in what looks like a botched home invasion. The older brother, Kenny, takes the fall and goes to jail while the younger brother, Dave, moves on with his life, attempting to leave his bad choices in the past. While in jail, Kenny's girlfriend, Sylvie, secretly leaves him for his brother, gets pregnant by him, and they begin a life of bettering themselves together....that is until Kenny's parole is granted and he is released from jail...as the same man he was the day he went in four years prior. The uppity and criminalistic Kenny clashes with his quieter, more put together brother setting the stage for a series of immensely bad decisions, overwhelming skepticism, and violence and murder in a back woods type of drama/crime film from director Robin Pront