Here

Here is likely one of the most real movies I've seen lately. Therefore, despite having an extremely slow pace and a really thin plot, its captivating storytelling and true relationships make you feel as if you were watching a true reality show, without the fireworks and unnecessary commentary.

It doesn't offer much in terms of the story itself. It's a simple tale of a simple man, Stefan, who's living an ordinary life and looking for some purpose in his everyday struggles. We know that doing so isn't as easy as it sounds, and is actually a quite complicated goal amidst all the troubles of life. The director Bas Devos knows it all too well and sticks true to the movie's concept.

During the film, Stefan stumbles across Shuxiu. At first sight, they don't really have any connections, yet, in a typical human manner, it blossoms from the simplest of things and conversations. Their relationship slowly develops throughout the film, and is both complex and simple, which is quite paradoxical, but we get it. In the end, each of us had similar interactions in our lives as well.

The movie puts a strong emphasis on visual storytelling, focusing on nature and how it springs to life despite harsh conditions. I believe it's a metaphor for Stefan and Shuxiu's relationship, which, in the face of early contradictory essence, somehow begins to work as well.

On top of that, both Stefan and Shuxiu's relationships with other people are almost too natural for cinema.

Unfortunately, Here doesn't have much else to offer besides stunning visuals that feel right to have in a story like this. It may be enough for slow cinema fans, who are keen on simple stories. I personally wanted to get hooked on it, but there wasn't enough for me to hold onto. Still, you leave the cinema pretty moved, with a tiny smile on your face, due to the movie's sweet ending, which feels as if we've lived it ourselves, at least once in our lives.

Romanian builder "Stefan" (Stefan Gota) is quite adept at making soup! With his holidays looming he is clearing out his fridge and hoping to get his ageing jalopy fixed so he can travel. He is also a bit of an insomniac and wanders the streets at night exploring and cutting a rather lonely figure appearing to have few friends. That is until he is walking along a country path and encounters a lady (Liyo Gong) examining the mosses that grow freely. They have met before - in her aunt's Chinese restaurant, briefly, amidst a thunderstorm and he is intrigued with her scientific endeavours. She explains to him what she is doing and why, informing him that mosses were the first plants ever to grow on the Earth. The next few hours see him diverted from his mission to go collect his car, and for the two to share their afternoon together. Might anything come of it? Well, that's not really the point. Instead, this seems to be a gentle reminder of how much easier, especially when empowered by the power of his vegetable soup, it is for people to engage with easy other or friendly and curious terms. It's a momentary observation of not just human existence, but it also showcases the beauty of nature as it exists amidst our man-made concrete and brick environment. The rain also seems to serve an almost allegorical purpose, wiping the slate clean for another episode in his solitary yet open-minded and friendly life. It is a strangely compelling film to watch. There's no beginning, or end - just a middle, and the two actors deliver plausibly imbuing a certain not easily definable chemistry.

This is one of the few films I have seen that shows more than plot and action. That is what humans, as we build our cities, seek because we are bored, frightened, and need to survive. But underlying all this activity is the quiet and organized intelligence of nature and the universe that most people will never see or acknowledge.

A cruder mind might find this film as dull as watching moss grow. But the spectacular in life is often not even noticed. We just need to get things done and move onto the next thing. For example, Stephan's, the main character's sister keeps saying she doesn't have time for a longer visit with him, even though he is leaving the country (Belgium) and may not return.

When one of his friends tells of a near death experience in which all the people who touched his soul surrounded him, Stephan saw something that redeems this life from just being a round of chores, sleeping, and eating.

When Stephan is introduced to the overlooked splendor of the huge variety of mosses that most people trample underfoot, he also experiences a light coming on in his life that gives it beauty.

It takes courage to go beyond rom-coms, action flicks, and political statements to produce a light that shines on the perfection of life right here.

Attended this at the Gothenburg Film Festival and the still-life-inspired cinematography separates the chaff from the wheat in the first 30 minutes. After that it gets very interesting the more you get to know the 2 characters without even getting to know them that much at all. The experimental camera work is a chef's kiss with it's symbolic frames when the characters are alone versus together. A lot of the cinematography reminds me of Edward Hopper's art and the more the story unfolds it's adorable to follow the characters. It gets nerdy on a really wholesome level and such absolute gem to see.

The thing I love most about Bas Devos is his approach to allowing me to experience his films in a meditative state and how he just let you chill out and really feel what's going on with the characters. It's all so natural, like you're just experiencing daily life alongside them. His latest, "Here," kinda reminds me of his earlier film "Ghost Tropic" with its themes offering a more tender exploration of human connection and isolation.

This 16mm tender embrace, a visual poem of moss, invites us into the bittersweet lives of two strangers in Brussels. A chance encounter brings Stefan and Shuxiu together but parting ways is inevitable. Devos masterfully juxtaposes their inner worlds with the beauty of the natural world, creating a poignant contrast for this simplistic story. Th ending is a thoughtful choice, avoiding the need for both characters to engage in extended dialogue or monologues. And the ending? It's just perfect. No big speeches needed, Shuxiu's reaction says it all and just speaks volumes.

And it's not just about the great outdoors; there's also that quiet feeling of being indoors, meandering reflection on the transience of life. In the calm stillness of "Here," even simple things like a train's reflection or the rain-pelted window, so profound, especially with the way it's framed. It just creates this amazing sense of intimacy.

Intimacy.

Ultimately, "Here" is one of those films that just makes you want to slow down, notice the little beautiful things, and find a bit of comfort in all those fleeting moments we experience. It's a real gem.