Bullhead (2012)

Absolutely brilliant

The film was still a fun one that will make you laugh and have you leaving the theater feeling like you just stole something valuable and got away with it.

It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,

This movie tries so hard to be funny, yet it falls flat every time. Just another example of recycled ideas repackaged with women in an attempt to appeal to a certain audience.

This is without doubt one of the best European films I've ever seen.First of all this was a brilliant performance by Mattias Schoenaerts, his character being a man tormented by a childhood trauma that makes him withdrawn and only really relating to the animals on his farm, even through his silence you can feel the agony he goes through because of this being such a good performance by him. Having lived on farms it is also refreshing to see a good crime film based on the countryside underworld and for it to be accurate as well to various themes of this film. One of the only downsides to this film is that the flashbacks that occur are scattered about and can cause some confusion if your not paying full attention to the film. However overall a great watch and it is not a surprise to see it got nominated for best foreign film of the year. A must see - 9/10

Rage, fiery burning rage and crippling insecurity. Two sides of a same coin. Like very often in life it's the opposites that rule our fate. Jacky Vanmarsenille, young, bulky addict on steroid shots, traumatized with the horrific childhood mutilation, is like an explosion waiting to happen. His entanglement with the illegal growth hormones for his livestock, sadly mirrors his own obsession with masculinity. He is a dangerous and pitiful man who never dealt with his own tragedy, and ultimately pays for it. This is a hard, unflinching look at the complexities of humanity. Corruption, violence, greed, in the same limited space with friendship, family and loyalty, fighting for supremacy. Dark, perhaps imperfect movie, but that is it's allure. Life is far from perfect itself.

A very deep, well-written story line. Character development is first-class and the acting is also very good all around. Directing is excellent with a lot of attention to detail.There is a main plot and several interesting side-plots. The flashbacks that give background and significance to what's going on at present time are perfectly placed and not an interruption like so often happens.The ending is excellent too.One thing I didn't like was a part of the final scene that didn't seem to make sense (would a person in that situation really do that?) but overall this one is a winner.

There are plenty of unsettling features of this simple tragic film, but all are treated with equanimity. Unless you are familiar with the Belgian hormone mafia, the first 20 minutes or so of this film winds up slowly until it is released. There are themes that remind me of Almodovar, but with the light sucked out. The secret of storytelling is what to leave out, and the decisions about what to leave to the viewer seem perfect. Time is spent on the emotions of a man rendered incapable of a normal outlet, and how the few people around him compensate. Matthias Schoenaerts as the protagonist is excellent, but this film owes everything to it's tight direction. (Language plays quite an important part in the film, and the audience is required to recognise the difference between the two Belgian languages.)