Sed Leks

I went to see the short-film festival in Brussels a few weeks ago, in fact because friends invited me. I'd never go to such a happening on my own. Still I must say I was positively surprised. I would never have though to see such diversity in one evening.

Sed Leks was really surprising.

It is nice to see some fresh air in this business.

This movie surely entertains from the very first second till the last.

It's really a pity this is a short-film. But I guess we have to see this in a positive way: it is very promising, since it is Siga's first movie. We sure do want to see more of this!

I was flabbergasted when I found out that 'Sed Leks' was Mr. Van De Velde's first movie. This short movie (appr. 12') is set in a Belgian coastal town and tells the story of some people adrift on the waves of a frantic society. The North Sea is the imperturbable framework that connects the lives of these wanderers washed ashore. The plot, unfolding at a steady pace and gathering momentum near the end, leads to a unforeseeable twist in the tail...

The smooth, sparkling dialogues, the witty ending and the laidback atmosphere enshrouding the entire movie, make this a must see. Well-thought-of, without being overwrought. The way movies were meant to be.

The beach of Ostend.. It begins as a summer holiday: sun, sea, happy people, terraces.. Subtle other elements appear in the story : a waitress that brushes off an insistent customer, a dad that brings along beach balls when he comes home from work, a young man who will do it for the first time… Each image opens another atmosphere, brings new information and is at the same time very recognizable and very Flemish. Slowly (yes, even in such a short film it's possible!) I was brought to a sad an unexpected end and at the same time had to smile with the toothbrush of the cactus. To tell so much life stories in eleven minutes is a real challenge. But this film did it all!

Ostend Belgium), 2004. Sed Leks tells the tale of a disparate bunch of seemingly unrelated characters who are thrown together by "fate." Belgian-Indian first time director, Siga Vande Velde, kicks off with a dazzling, highly paced sequence of shots revealing the less glamorous features of Belgium's former "jewel in the crown," the sea resort of Ostend. Vande Velde, however, quickly changes gear, transforming this initial comedy of manners into a generic mix blending together Robert Altman's multiple narrative style with the quirkiness of the average contemporary Indie crime caper. The result is generally engaging, refreshing and at times original. Yet Vande Velde greatest strenght is ironically also his greatest weakness. He is simply too ambitious, cramming in too many ideas without the space to do so (11 minutes) and getting occasionally caught up in his own multitude of inter-textual references. Also the intended surprise ending is not as wrong footing as the film really deserves. Perhaps what Vande Velde needs most of all, are miles of additional film, so he can prove what he is really made of. Karen Embrechts