| Cattle farmer Jacky Vanmarsenille (Matthias Schoenaerts), himself a steroid using junkie, wheels and deals with other unscrupulous farmers and vets who buy, sell and inject cattle with illegal drug hormones. When we are shown scenes of Jacky’s tumultuous childhood, the connections between past and present add unexpected depth to this kick-butt crime tale. The assassination of a federal policemanlooking into these shady doings sets in motion a chain of events with far reaching consequences. The film’s dark, raw, visceral style is just right for this can’t-take-your-eyes-off-the-screen tragedy about fate, lost innocence and friendship. A harsh world, one most of us would cower and hide from, and that it’s based on the hormone mafia underworld is as unexpected as it is brilliant. In Dutch and French with subtitles. |
