Ray Massart In many ways this movie that, astonishingly enough, has received some negative reviews, is indeed yet another familiar story about a woman, in this case, Matty, a frustrated mother of three who has been abandoned by her husband for a younger girl and who not only wonders what her life has been all about but particularly what the future holds in store for her now that she has reached the age of forty-one. Her chance encounter with a random trucker as the result of a minor traffic accident signifies a turning point in her life. Johnny, the trucker, is immediately infatuated with this woman who is twelve years his senior and his amorous attempts at seducing her, slowly lead Matty to the realization that not only is she still attractive as a woman but also that deep-down her emotions are still alive. As the story develops, the viewer learns that Johnny has a past and also a drinking problem and that Matty's estranged husband is making attempts to return to his family. Matty is caught in the middle and also has to deal with the ongoing sarcastic comments made by her eldest daughter ( a convincing role excellently performed by Anemone Valcke) Matty however grows stronger and more confident mainly as a result of the animosity between the two male contenders that is often more an expression of immature childish bickering than that of two grown-up males. She encounters more obstacles on the complicated road to self-realization but when in the final scene, we see her walking next to a rail road track and in a flash we are reminded of the vague thoughts she once expressed of ending her life under a train, we are quickly reassured by her convincing smile that although she cannot predict the future, at present, all is well. Barbara Sarafian's portrayal of Matty is excellent.Matty is a real woman but above all a (feminine) person: she worries about her age, her looks, her responsibilities, her future and her alternating feelings of hope and despair are wonderfully reflected in her appearance: at times she radiates real beauty while at others she's just another plain Jane.The men in her life are basically very weak:due to his own feelings of insecurity her husband is very dependent on her and burdens her with responsibilities he dare not (cannot?) take himself while her lover is somewhat too young and playful to be convincingly assertive. Jurgen Delnaet who plays Johnny succeeds brilliantly in portraying the rugged trucker in search of a strong woman who will guide him on his way and Johan Heldenbergh as the husband who's experiencing a mid-life crisis is very convincing. The dialog is natural and the acting of the whole cast, superb. A worthy contribution to modern Flemish film making.

omgheisretartedlol The title says it all. As a Belgian myself I'm ashamed Belgium's movies always end up like this piece of horrible poo. There have been very good Belgian movies "De zaak van Alzheimer" 'De hel van tanger". But this .. this .. arrgghh. Thanks for another humiliation for Belgium. This rubbish has no boundaries. and it's supposed to be funny at times don't make me cry. Only watch this movie if you are Deaf , Blind , Retarted. Or have plans for mass suicide bombings. For starters the acting is horrible and the story is horrible. Whatever they wanted to show us it's blinded by the silliness of this movie.I cannot warn you enough.0/10

vitaleralphlouis Moscow, Belgium starts out as an earnest and entertaining romance about a 41 year old mother of three and a 29 year old truck driver. So very much of the film is new, fresh, and funny. Too bad that it's sunk in the final 30 minutes by a false and intrusive theme about the oldest daughter suddenly being lesbian. This was obvious sucker-bait aimed at the liberal reviewers who usually give automatic positive reviews to any gay-themed film. Need one name names? Just as a cigarette butt or roach intrudes on a dinner plate, spoiling the remainder of the dinner, but also spoiling the portion already consumed, this amounts to a rude and shallow intrusion on the viewer's goodwill. When the mother gets the news that her daughter's boyfriend is "Iris" this very emotional woman responds not-at-all. Upon meeting Iris, we find, of course, that Iris is the nicest and most noble lesbian you'd ever want to meet -- planning a career of counseling terminally ill patients. There's more: The mother would never have let "a boy" sleep with her 16 year old daughter in their apartment, but since Iris is gay, her sleep-over is just fine.People are free to accept or reject Brokeback Mountain et cetera. That's fine, since they're up front about the gay theme. But when they take care to conceal it till you buy your ticket; well that's just not nice.

RResende You can hardly get more unpretentious than what you have here.It's elementary clear how this is made, the devices that were used, and the effective it is and this is a good thing, in this case.Check how the story and the mood is built right from the first scene. A minor traffic accident in a parking lot, that begins an argument. The scene starts as a piece of ordinary life, goes on as a light word-based argument, and finishes in a funny mood. Notice how every word and sentence in this argument is designed to cause an immediate impression without becoming dark or even heavy. That's the mood of the film. It lives on daily lives, it introduces deviating elements, that usually work out funny (the introduction of the lesbian theme was a great moment, among others)and with this mood evokes a sense of tenderness, what audiences may call "romance". The fact that the people who conceived this were able to synthesize this so economically and efficiently in one single scene is really impressive. This is one of the most meaningful first scenes i've seen.I place this with 3 recent comedies that among many differences share a common sense of unpretentiousness, something that admits cinema is a piece of entertainment, that things have to be successful and effective in the eye, and through the dialogues, IN the world of the film, without meaning that the film should moralize or search for superior answers to common themes. These films i saw recently are "Juno", "Little miss Sunshine" and this one. Of the 3, this was the best, to me. It deviates from Hollywood canons even more than the other two, and that may be the reason.It works for the performances, acting, which were surprisingly direct and grasping. I know very few or nothing about Belgian (or equivalent) acting traditions, but i am guessing (may be wrong) that this is inserted in a longer tradition of acting with fluidity, what some may consider "natural" acting. I wouldn't dare to mistake this for "real" life, as i suppose many spectators will, but this is a really well shaped cartoon world. Representation, that's what this is... the guy goes often to Italy, and speaks Italian many times, a language that in some of its golden moments in art is meant to "sound" instead of really "mean".Some cityscapes of the small town of Moscow, Belgium, is great. There was a competent eye for the city here as well.My opinion: 4/5 (FantasPorto 2009)http://www.7eyes.wordpress.com