Thomas in Love
"Thomas in Love" is a low-budget, scruffy Belgian equivalent of "Rear Window", where the hero, who is never seen, spends all of his days -- and, seemingly, most of his nights -- connecting with people via a 24-hour video telephone. The point of view is always our hero's "visiophone" screen, and the movie's characters are all isolated from one another, engaged in two-way conversations over this communication device of the not-too-distant future.
As with any experimental film playing around with time, space and point of view, "Thomas" necessarily has a limited art house audience. But for adventure seekers, the film has a comic kick.
Pierre-Paul Renders, a documentary and video director from Belgium making his first feature, benefits from a witty script by Philippe Blasband. The two filmmakers create a substantial network of characters and develop a workable plot despite (because of?) a visual gimmick that forces much of the action to take place off-camera. At 97 minutes, they manage to get about all they possibly can out of this unusual narrative ploy. But let's hope no one demands a sequel; it's a one-shot deal.
At 33, Thomas (voiced by Benoit Verhaert) is an acute agoraphobe with a pathological fear of open spaces and human contact. But he was certainly born in the right time and place.
The wired world of cyber cocooning, virtual reality, Internet shopping and dating and "visiophones" seems almost de-signed for his pathology.
The movie cuts among several key characters: the animated "virtual girlfriend" Clara; a nagging mother (Micheline Hardy); his aloof shrink (Frederic Topart); the abrupt insurance agent (Alexandre von Sivers) who seems to run his life; and various receptionists, repair guys and delivery boys seen on his apartment's closed-circuit television as they deliver goods in the corridor between his inner and outer doors. Then two women enter his life.
Things have reached a crisis for Thomas. Everyone believes the time has come for him to get over his agoraphobia.
To push this social development, the insurance agent signs him up for a government-sponsored prostitution service, while his shrink submits his name and number to an Internet dating service.
Against his better judgment, Thomas gets hooked on a woman from each service. From the dating service, Melodie (Magali Pinglaut), a young free spirit, sees his affliction more as a challenge than a handicap. But his insistence that their sexual encounter be a virtual one dampens her enthusiasm.
Eva (Aylin Yay), a prostitute he first glimpses onscreen in tears, intrigues him. Withdrawn and secretive, she is more closeted (emotionally) than even he is.
The movie doesn't try to explain some things in its future world. Why an insurance rep directs his life and why people wear Indian henna painting on their faces and bodies are un-solved puzzles.
The implied critique by the film of our present society is, of course, that the Internet, cable television and everything else in our plugged-in world isolate people socially and stunt people's emotional growth. We are all being turned into agoraphobes.
This is clever science fiction but not very deep or demanding. You get the point right away, and all that remains to figure out is how a guy in isolation is going to experience a love life.
A handful of sets and a few actors are exactly what the movie demands. Like "The Blair Witch Project", the modestly budgeted film turns its liabilities into an artistic statement.
THOMAS IN LOVE
IFC Films
Entre Chien & Loup/JBA
in association with R. TBF
Producer: Diana Elbaum
Director: Pierre-Paul Renders
Screenwriter: Philippe Blasband
Director of photography: Virginie Saint Martin
Production designer: Pierre Gerbaux
Music: Igor Sterpin
Costume designer: Anne Fournier
Editor: Wein Ryckaert
Color/stereo
Cast:
Thomas: Benoit Verhaert
Eva: Aylin Yay
Melodie: Magali Pinglaut
Nathalie: Micheline Hardy
Insurance agent: Alexandre von Sivers
Psychologist: Frederic Topart
Running time -- 97 minutes
No MPAA rating...
As with any experimental film playing around with time, space and point of view, "Thomas" necessarily has a limited art house audience. But for adventure seekers, the film has a comic kick.
Pierre-Paul Renders, a documentary and video director from Belgium making his first feature, benefits from a witty script by Philippe Blasband. The two filmmakers create a substantial network of characters and develop a workable plot despite (because of?) a visual gimmick that forces much of the action to take place off-camera. At 97 minutes, they manage to get about all they possibly can out of this unusual narrative ploy. But let's hope no one demands a sequel; it's a one-shot deal.
At 33, Thomas (voiced by Benoit Verhaert) is an acute agoraphobe with a pathological fear of open spaces and human contact. But he was certainly born in the right time and place.
The wired world of cyber cocooning, virtual reality, Internet shopping and dating and "visiophones" seems almost de-signed for his pathology.
The movie cuts among several key characters: the animated "virtual girlfriend" Clara; a nagging mother (Micheline Hardy); his aloof shrink (Frederic Topart); the abrupt insurance agent (Alexandre von Sivers) who seems to run his life; and various receptionists, repair guys and delivery boys seen on his apartment's closed-circuit television as they deliver goods in the corridor between his inner and outer doors. Then two women enter his life.
Things have reached a crisis for Thomas. Everyone believes the time has come for him to get over his agoraphobia.
To push this social development, the insurance agent signs him up for a government-sponsored prostitution service, while his shrink submits his name and number to an Internet dating service.
Against his better judgment, Thomas gets hooked on a woman from each service. From the dating service, Melodie (Magali Pinglaut), a young free spirit, sees his affliction more as a challenge than a handicap. But his insistence that their sexual encounter be a virtual one dampens her enthusiasm.
Eva (Aylin Yay), a prostitute he first glimpses onscreen in tears, intrigues him. Withdrawn and secretive, she is more closeted (emotionally) than even he is.
The movie doesn't try to explain some things in its future world. Why an insurance rep directs his life and why people wear Indian henna painting on their faces and bodies are un-solved puzzles.
The implied critique by the film of our present society is, of course, that the Internet, cable television and everything else in our plugged-in world isolate people socially and stunt people's emotional growth. We are all being turned into agoraphobes.
This is clever science fiction but not very deep or demanding. You get the point right away, and all that remains to figure out is how a guy in isolation is going to experience a love life.
A handful of sets and a few actors are exactly what the movie demands. Like "The Blair Witch Project", the modestly budgeted film turns its liabilities into an artistic statement.
THOMAS IN LOVE
IFC Films
Entre Chien & Loup/JBA
in association with R. TBF
Producer: Diana Elbaum
Director: Pierre-Paul Renders
Screenwriter: Philippe Blasband
Director of photography: Virginie Saint Martin
Production designer: Pierre Gerbaux
Music: Igor Sterpin
Costume designer: Anne Fournier
Editor: Wein Ryckaert
Color/stereo
Cast:
Thomas: Benoit Verhaert
Eva: Aylin Yay
Melodie: Magali Pinglaut
Nathalie: Micheline Hardy
Insurance agent: Alexandre von Sivers
Psychologist: Frederic Topart
Running time -- 97 minutes
No MPAA rating...
- 7/8/2004
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Thomas in Love
"Thomas in Love" is a low-budget, scruffy Belgian equivalent of "Rear Window", where the hero, who is never seen, spends all of his days -- and, seemingly, most of his nights -- connecting with people via a 24-hour video telephone. The point of view is always our hero's "visiophone" screen, and the movie's characters are all isolated from one another, engaged in two-way conversations over this communication device of the not-too-distant future.
As with any experimental film playing around with time, space and point of view, "Thomas" necessarily has a limited art house audience. But for adventure seekers, the film has a comic kick.
Pierre-Paul Renders, a documentary and video director from Belgium making his first feature, benefits from a witty script by Philippe Blasband. The two filmmakers create a substantial network of characters and develop a workable plot despite (because of?) a visual gimmick that forces much of the action to take place off-camera. At 97 minutes, they manage to get about all they possibly can out of this unusual narrative ploy. But let's hope no one demands a sequel; it's a one-shot deal.
At 33, Thomas (voiced by Benoit Verhaert) is an acute agoraphobe with a pathological fear of open spaces and human contact. But he was certainly born in the right time and place.
The wired world of cyber cocooning, virtual reality, Internet shopping and dating and "visiophones" seems almost de-signed for his pathology.
The movie cuts among several key characters: the animated "virtual girlfriend" Clara; a nagging mother (Micheline Hardy); his aloof shrink (Frederic Topart); the abrupt insurance agent (Alexandre von Sivers) who seems to run his life; and various receptionists, repair guys and delivery boys seen on his apartment's closed-circuit television as they deliver goods in the corridor between his inner and outer doors. Then two women enter his life.
Things have reached a crisis for Thomas. Everyone believes the time has come for him to get over his agoraphobia.
To push this social development, the insurance agent signs him up for a government-sponsored prostitution service, while his shrink submits his name and number to an Internet dating service.
Against his better judgment, Thomas gets hooked on a woman from each service. From the dating service, Melodie (Magali Pinglaut), a young free spirit, sees his affliction more as a challenge than a handicap. But his insistence that their sexual encounter be a virtual one dampens her enthusiasm.
Eva (Aylin Yay), a prostitute he first glimpses onscreen in tears, intrigues him. Withdrawn and secretive, she is more closeted (emotionally) than even he is.
The movie doesn't try to explain some things in its future world. Why an insurance rep directs his life and why people wear Indian henna painting on their faces and bodies are un-solved puzzles.
The implied critique by the film of our present society is, of course, that the Internet, cable television and everything else in our plugged-in world isolate people socially and stunt people's emotional growth. We are all being turned into agoraphobes.
This is clever science fiction but not very deep or demanding. You get the point right away, and all that remains to figure out is how a guy in isolation is going to experience a love life.
A handful of sets and a few actors are exactly what the movie demands. Like "The Blair Witch Project", the modestly budgeted film turns its liabilities into an artistic statement.
THOMAS IN LOVE
IFC Films
Entre Chien & Loup/JBA
in association with R. TBF
Producer: Diana Elbaum
Director: Pierre-Paul Renders
Screenwriter: Philippe Blasband
Director of photography: Virginie Saint Martin
Production designer: Pierre Gerbaux
Music: Igor Sterpin
Costume designer: Anne Fournier
Editor: Wein Ryckaert
Color/stereo
Cast:
Thomas: Benoit Verhaert
Eva: Aylin Yay
Melodie: Magali Pinglaut
Nathalie: Micheline Hardy
Insurance agent: Alexandre von Sivers
Psychologist: Frederic Topart
Running time -- 97 minutes
No MPAA rating...
As with any experimental film playing around with time, space and point of view, "Thomas" necessarily has a limited art house audience. But for adventure seekers, the film has a comic kick.
Pierre-Paul Renders, a documentary and video director from Belgium making his first feature, benefits from a witty script by Philippe Blasband. The two filmmakers create a substantial network of characters and develop a workable plot despite (because of?) a visual gimmick that forces much of the action to take place off-camera. At 97 minutes, they manage to get about all they possibly can out of this unusual narrative ploy. But let's hope no one demands a sequel; it's a one-shot deal.
At 33, Thomas (voiced by Benoit Verhaert) is an acute agoraphobe with a pathological fear of open spaces and human contact. But he was certainly born in the right time and place.
The wired world of cyber cocooning, virtual reality, Internet shopping and dating and "visiophones" seems almost de-signed for his pathology.
The movie cuts among several key characters: the animated "virtual girlfriend" Clara; a nagging mother (Micheline Hardy); his aloof shrink (Frederic Topart); the abrupt insurance agent (Alexandre von Sivers) who seems to run his life; and various receptionists, repair guys and delivery boys seen on his apartment's closed-circuit television as they deliver goods in the corridor between his inner and outer doors. Then two women enter his life.
Things have reached a crisis for Thomas. Everyone believes the time has come for him to get over his agoraphobia.
To push this social development, the insurance agent signs him up for a government-sponsored prostitution service, while his shrink submits his name and number to an Internet dating service.
Against his better judgment, Thomas gets hooked on a woman from each service. From the dating service, Melodie (Magali Pinglaut), a young free spirit, sees his affliction more as a challenge than a handicap. But his insistence that their sexual encounter be a virtual one dampens her enthusiasm.
Eva (Aylin Yay), a prostitute he first glimpses onscreen in tears, intrigues him. Withdrawn and secretive, she is more closeted (emotionally) than even he is.
The movie doesn't try to explain some things in its future world. Why an insurance rep directs his life and why people wear Indian henna painting on their faces and bodies are un-solved puzzles.
The implied critique by the film of our present society is, of course, that the Internet, cable television and everything else in our plugged-in world isolate people socially and stunt people's emotional growth. We are all being turned into agoraphobes.
This is clever science fiction but not very deep or demanding. You get the point right away, and all that remains to figure out is how a guy in isolation is going to experience a love life.
A handful of sets and a few actors are exactly what the movie demands. Like "The Blair Witch Project", the modestly budgeted film turns its liabilities into an artistic statement.
THOMAS IN LOVE
IFC Films
Entre Chien & Loup/JBA
in association with R. TBF
Producer: Diana Elbaum
Director: Pierre-Paul Renders
Screenwriter: Philippe Blasband
Director of photography: Virginie Saint Martin
Production designer: Pierre Gerbaux
Music: Igor Sterpin
Costume designer: Anne Fournier
Editor: Wein Ryckaert
Color/stereo
Cast:
Thomas: Benoit Verhaert
Eva: Aylin Yay
Melodie: Magali Pinglaut
Nathalie: Micheline Hardy
Insurance agent: Alexandre von Sivers
Psychologist: Frederic Topart
Running time -- 97 minutes
No MPAA rating...
- 8/9/2001
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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