Here

"Here" is an interesting film from Belgium that underscores the difference between US and European films in their style. It won the Best Film award and the FIPRESCI Prize at the 2023 Berlin film festival in the Encounters section. It is based on its director Bas Devos' screenplay adapted from a 1988 essay written by the late US science fiction writer Ursula K Le Guin entitled 'The Carrier Bag Theory of Fiction.'

While essentially the film is a tale of love that gently grows between two persons in Brussels--a Romanian construction worker and a Belgian-Chinese doctoral-student bryologist (a scientist who studies mosses)--the film educates the viewer in science while telescoping moss as a metaphor on organic processes that rarely gain attention in the world today. To an astute viewer, "Here" offers more value than "Poor Things," another 2023 film adaptation of a sci-fi literary source. It is amusing to note the original literary work's title includes the words 'carrier bag' while the construction worker is often with a carry bag containing vessels of soup that he has cooked to give away to folks close to him.

This is the definition of an "artsy" and pretentious movie. Not just a STYLE OVER SUBSTANCE : There is nothing substantial here. Nothing meaningful, nothing that you're gonna remember it for a while. A shallow and hollow movie about Nothing. There is a guy who's obsessively making soups, a girl, at some point near the ending they met each other and take a trip into a Brussels park, and that's it.

I would be less hostile if this hadn't a 92/100 Metascore rating. Movie critics have totally lost any touch with reality.

Still, i gave it 5 stars because for some strange reason, i watched the whole movie without struggling. At some point, for 2 minutes, viewer watches only grass and roots and something like that, and it is less boring than it seems. Probably the best part. It's a sweet movie, nothing vile and twisted here, characters are boring and forgettable but likeable. And its running time helps a lot, it's only 80 minutes.

There is something soul soothing in this movie, and i cannot not appreciate, hence the 5 stars. But this is not Cinema. Just some nice shots are not enough for an artistic creation. There is no story here. It's more like a documentary than a movie.

Saw this at the 2023 filmfestival in Ghant (Belgium). A minimal story about two people in Brussels, living their separate lives, meeting each other by accident a few times, and find a connection for some reason or other. No sex, nor any other intimate contact.

When the movie ends, they do not even know each other names, but still there is some bond. We see it grow gradually, mixed with images of Brussels' city nature that also gets its fair share of attention.

Seeing this movie had an unexpected side effect on me. When at home I started making soup from all sorts of remaining vegetables I had lying around, inspired by Stefan who had to clear his fridge before going back to his country. In Dutch, we call this madiwodo soup (does not translate, but is typically made by cafeterias at work on a Friday, out of remaining ingredients from the previous Mon/Tue/Wed/Thursday, or motuweth for short, not a pronounceable acronym).

Notwithstanding that the story went nowhere interesting, the lead actors and the way it is pictured was remarkably compelling. I'm not sure how the filmmakers do it, but it works even for a nerd like me who doesn't do feelings nor atmosphere.

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.

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.

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.