CALVAIRE ( The Ordeal )

A film by FABRICE DU WELZ

**** “Put The Hills Have Eyes, Deliverance and Delicatessen through a Belgian blender and the end result would be the spaced-out and spooky Calvaire”

Alan Jones - STARBURST

“A sick and slick gothic black comedy with flashes of genius”

Damon Wise - EMPIRE

R/T: 90 min's / Cert: 18 / Release date: 9 DECEMBER 2005

Starring: LAURENT LUCAS, JACKIE BERROYER, PHILIPPE NAHON

Imagine the local inhabitants of Royston Vasey and the good ol’ boys from DELIVERANCE, relocated to the dark, wild forests of Belgian’s Fagne’s region.

Fabrice du Welz’s darkly, surreal debut feature, which premiered at the Critics Week at Cannes in 2004, takes it’s thematic and aesthetic inspiration from the ‘survival’ horror films of the 70’s, such as THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE, DELIVERANCE, STRAW DOGS and THE WICKER MAN pitting an outsider in peril against a psychologically disturbed, isolated, local community. Director of Photography Benoit Debie (Gaspar Noe’s IRREVERSIBLE, Lucile Hadzihalilovic’s INNOCENCE) captures the isolation of the landscape and the palpable sense of claustrophobia and increasing dread as Marc Stevens (Laurent Lucas) realizes that all in the village is not what it initially seems.

Marc Stevens (Laurent Lucas) is a traveling singer. At the nursing home, the concert has ended, and Marc takes the road. Shortly afterwards his car breaks down in the middle of nowhere. He is taken in by Mr. Bartel (Jackie Berroyer), an innkeeper who became psychologically fragile after his wife Gloria left him. This is how Marc’s ordeal begins.

At first all seems well and Mr Bartel's generousity is very appreciated by Marc but slowly he notices a hidden agenda with this fella as he starts to go over the hill with a few comments. He catches Mr Bartel out when he finds some of his belongings in Bartels room. Bartel denies all knowledge of it, as if he found it, but Marc is not that stupid and Bartel knows it.

I really enjoyed this movie, It has some great moments and good twists which keep you on the psychological edge and in parts, quite distressing and manipulative. Fabrice du Welz has done a great job with this movie and, for his first feature length movie, has captured a lot of passion, with every scene well thought out and highly provoking. Hope to see more from this guy in the future.

EXTRA INFORMATION

FABRICE DU WELZ - director

Fabrice du Welz, born 21 October 1972, studied at the Dramatic Arts Conservatory of Liege (Belgium) then and the INSAS, the cinema training institute of Brussels. Starting in 1990, he directed a number of films in Super 8. After his studies, he collaborated on comedy sketches for Canal+, “La Grande Famille”, “Nulle Part Ailleurs”. In 1999, he directed the short film QUAND ON EST AMOUREUX C’EST MERVEILLEUX, which won the Grand Prize of the Gerardmer Festival in 2001.

CALVAIRE (The Ordeal) is his first feature length film. The film premiered at the Critics’ Week at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival and screened at the Edinburgh Film Festival in 2004.…

LAURENT LUCAS – Mac Stevens

Laurent Lucas got his start in 1989, when he studied acting with the Charles Dullin school, before becoming one of the most promising students at Strasbourg’s Theatre National (TNS), where he began an impressive dramatic career. He appeared first on screen opposite Jeanne Balibar in J’AI HORREUR DE L’AMOUR (1996), in which he gave an impressive performance as a character with HIV. He want on to play alongside Guillaume Depardieu in POLA X (1997) by Leos Carax. In 1998, he made two films with Karin Viard: he played her brother in LA NOUVELLE EVE and then her lover in HAUT LES COEURS! a performance for which he was cited at the Cesar Awards for Best Upcoming Male Actor. His breakthrough role came as a young father whose family life is devastated in HARRY, HE’S HERE TO HELP. In 2002, he played the boyfriend of Marina De Van in IN MY SKIN. In 2003, he presented three films at the Cannes Festival: TIRESIA, WHO KILLED BAMBI? and VA PETITE! Most recently he has appeared in HARRY, HE’S HERE TO HELP director,Dominic Moll’s latest film, LEMMING.

FILMOGRAPHY

2005 LEMMING
2004 CALVAIRE
2003 WHO KILLED BAMBI?
TOUT POUR L’OSEILLE
LA SORCIERE AUX SIENS BLANCS
ADIEU
2002 LAUGHTER & PUNISHMENT
VA, PETITE!
TIRESIA
WORK HARD, PLAY HARD
LES GENS HONNETES VIVENT EN FRANCE
PHOSPHENE
2001 THE PORNOGRAPHER
IN MY SKIN
2000 HARRY, HE’S HERE TO HELP
1998 QUELQUE CHOSE D’ORGANIQUE
RIEN SUR ROBERT
LA NOUVELLE EVE
HAUT LES COEURS!
1997 J’AI HORREUR DE L’AMOUR

JACKIE BERROYER – M. Bartel

Until he was 25, Jack Berroyer was a technical draughtsman. A passionate lover of music, particularly rock, he studied the trumpet as a hobby. His family wanted him to go into government service, but he became a rock critic in 1975 for ‘Charlie Hebdo’. A regular contributor to ‘Hara Kiri’, ‘Liberation’ and ‘Actuel’, he wrote three novels: ‘Jai beaucoup souffert’, ‘Je vieillis bien’ and ‘La femme be Berroyer est plus belle que toi, connasse’, which was adapted as a film TEMPETE DANS UN VERRE D’EAU (1996), in which Berroyer played the leading role. Scriptwriter and sometime consultant, he became an actor by chance. Inconclusive screen tests for A NOS AMOURS by Maurice Pialat, and minor roles in the early 90’s: LES GENS NORMAUX N’ONT RIEN D’EXCEPTIONNEL brought him to the attention of the public, who otherwise him as an entertainer on Canal+. His first starring role came with Pascal Bonitzer’s ENCORE, a very wry portrayal of the torments of an intellectual couple. In JE NE VOIS PAS CE QU’ON ME TROUVE he played a babbling and touching character. Overcoming his legendary hesitation, L’ANNONCE FAITE A MARIUS, gave him his first substantial role. In 2002, he starred in Denis Parent’s first film, RIEN QUE DU BONHEUR, and joined Herve Palud, Christian Clavier and Michel Serrault in ALBERT EST MECHANT. He recently published a collection of short stories entitled ‘J’ai beaucoup souffert de ne pas avoir de mobylette’

FILMOGRAPHY

2004 CALVAIRE
A BOIRE
2003 ALBERT EST MECHANT
2002 RIEN QUE DU BONHEUR
2001 H.S HORS SERVICE
1999 UN DERANGEMENT CONSIDERABLE
LES FRERES SOEURS
1997 L’ANNONCE FAITE A MARIUS
RIEN NE VA PLUS
CA N’EMPECHE PAS LES SENTIMENTS
1996 ENCORE
JE NE VOIS PAS CE QU’ON ME TROUVE
1994 L’EAU FROIDE
UN INDIEN DANS LA VILLE
1991 LUNE FROIDE

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