Cinema

(de voertaal van deze avond is Engels).

Jeffrey's Underground Cinema has been showing neglected and forgotten films for the last decade. This night:  

THE FAIRY 2011
(La fée)
Directed by Dominique Abel, Fiona Gordon and Bruno Romy
94 minutes
In French with English subtitles

This French-Belgian film was a favorite at festivals when it was made, but has rarely been seen since. The setting of this wacky tale is the downbeat French harbor town of Le Havre, where out of the bleakest of situations and locations the three directors of the film (who are also the main actors in the film) create a tension between the mundane and the magical. It has a wonderful style, a sort of controlled awkwardness that contains a bittersweet sense of humor. The atmosphere is sort of Belgian…almost like something out of the early 60s…… and indeed the highly-stylized visual cinema of Jacques Tati does come to mind (as do the early silents of Buster Keaton and Chaplin). So even though there is dialogue, in essence this is an extremely visual experience.

The story? It’s a complex love affair between two losers… a depressed hotel night clerk and an escaped mental patient. The key to the film is transformation, which is different from escapism. In other words, even though the film is illuminating and soul-warming, it is set against the gritty reality of everyday life. And I should also say there are heavy doses of ultra-kitsch in this cinematic cocktail. In the end it’s absolutely unique…. a sort of quirky, effervescent surrealism.

With a short introduction by Jeffrey Babcock

20:30 (doors and bar open at 20:00)
Free entrance / no reservations
We advise you to come early: max. 70 people /
no admittance after 20.30