Eldorado (2008)

Excellent but underrated film

Better Late Then Never

It's fun, it's light, [but] it has a hard time when its tries to get heavy.

It was OK. I don't see why everyone loves it so much. It wasn't very smart or deep or well-directed.

The picture was a Belgian winner at Cannes as Best European Film Director's Fortnight, and I picked it up packaged as part of an 'Own the Film Movement Series'. Though there are some terrific foreign films, this one did not leave me impressed. It takes on the guise of a road film, after Yvan (Bouli Lanners) agrees to take Didier (Fabrice Adde) back to his parents' home, this after the recovering addict is found burglarizing Yvan's house. There are some unconventional characters that the pair come across along the way, but in it's attempt to be quirky, these chance encounters seem to be more contrived than accidental. The one scene that's played for poignancy involves Didier's mother, longing for some semblance of an emotional attachment to her son, but thwarted by an off screen husband who has no use for his shiftless son. Yvan conveys a rare insight into familial relationships that he imparts to his fellow traveler, while insisting they tend to an overgrown garden of weeds. This appears to be what's at the heart of the story, as Yvan despairs over the loss of his own younger brother, and now has no one left to call family. For the viewer, one is left to make what one will with the way the story ends, as there is no resolution in the traditional sense. If seen in the company of others, there will no doubt be an endless supply of possible explanations for how the story ends, or continues as it were.

A middle-aged man returns to his home in rural Belgium to find that it has been broken into, with a stranger hiding under his bed. He initially threatens the intruder, who refuses to come out, with violence and calling the police. When the stranger eventually emerges, he is found to be a scared young man purportedly seeking to return to his parents after overcoming a heroin addiction. His parents live on the other side of the country, and the older man offers to give him a lift. The ensuing road movie begins conventionally, with gradual bonding and chance meetings with various eccentrics as the Belgian landscape offers some choice cinematography opportunities. Although these initial encounters are mildly engaging and occasionally humorous, three incidents in the latter half challenge the low-key nature of the preceding action. This change of direction lends the film a more serious weight and a dark, meaty substance in place of a morality tale.An impressive piece of work, especially given the short running time (around 80 minutes). The older man is played by Bouli Lanners, who also writes and directs.

A guy lives on his own in a somewhat rundown house. When he gets home one evening he finds an intruder in the house: a junkie that is trying to steal some of his belongings. After some initial anger the two of them become a very odd pair and they start making a road trip through Belgium with the two of them.Running as a somewhat dark comedy this one is a good laugh. The pair is impossible enough to make for some very funny events and the pace of the film is high enough. Some things that happen don't make much sense at all but it never gets to the point where it becomes an irritation. With each passing mile the link between the two becomes stronger even though it is very clear that they will never be real good friends. The film is a tiny bit predictable but that doesn't work against it. It could have been stretched a bit longer though without turning less intense, which would have given some space to build on the characters a bit more.7 out of 10 stolen moments

The main characters come together because of dogs and eventually separate because of a dog. That fact is slightly more uninteresting than most of what happens in between.There were a few exceptions - when our two heroes first meet, when they twice receive car assistance and when they're at the parents' house. Some of the landscape shots were nice to look at too.Character development was MINIMAL. Yvan is mild-tempered, deals in imported, used American cars and is, judging by the casual orderliness of his home and personal appearance, a bachelor and probably not dating. Elie/Didier is a junkie-liar-thief who has no money, no drugs, no car and wants to travel to his parent's home. It takes about two thirds of the movie before you discover the relationship each has with their respective families and how it might explain why Yvan befriended Elie/Didier. What is never explained is why Yvan wants to believe the best about Elie/Didier in spite of what he sees. Ultimately, there wasn't enough there for me to take an interest in either character.This wasn't a terrible movie but once was enough. This movie is MAYBE a 5 but I think closer to a 4.