Calvaire (film)
| Calvaire | |
|---|---|
Official theatrical poster
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| Directed by | Fabrice Du Welz |
| Produced by | Michael Gentile Eddy Géradon-Luyckx Vincent Tavier |
| Written by |
Fabrice Du Welz Romain Protat |
| Starring |
Laurent Lucas Jackie Berroyer Philippe Nahon |
| Music by | Vincent Cahay |
| Cinematography | Benoît Debie |
| Edited by | Sabine Hubeaux |
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Production
company |
La Parti Productions
Tarantula Studio Canal The Film Backup Films Centre du Cinéma et de l'Audiovisuel de la Communauté Française de Belgique Fonds National de Soutien à la Production Audiovisuelle du Luxembourg Télédistributeurs Wallons |
| Distributed by | Mars Distribution |
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Release date
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Running time
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88 minutes |
| Country |
Belgium France Luxembourg |
| Language | French |
Calvaire (also known as The Ordeal) is a 2004 Belgian psychological horror film directed by Fabrice Du Welz, starring Laurent Lucas, Philippe Nahon and Jackie Berroyer.
Marc Stevens is a struggling low-level performer, who makes his living performing light pop ballads and easy listening tunes at retirement homes and other small venues around Belgium. En route to perform at a Christmas special, his van — which doubles as his home — breaks down during a storm and he is stranded deep in the woods. Lost, cold, and succumbing to the elements, Marc is rescued by a local, an emaciated young man named Boris, who takes Marc to a run down inn.
The sole occupant of the inn is its proprietor, Mr. Bartel, an amiable old man who lives there as a hermit of sorts. Claiming to be a retired standup comedian, Bartel welcomes Marc to stay and offers to repair his van as a token of brotherhood between professional entertainers. Marc accepts the offer, but remains aloof, not speaking with Bartel about his own career or personal life.
The next morning, Mr. Bartel tows Marc's van into the front yard of the inn. Marc tells Bartel he is going for a walk, at which point Bartel suddenly becomes paranoid and aggressive, warning Marc not to go into the nearby village. Marc agrees, but during his walk he approaches a nearby farm, where he witnesses a family voyeuristically watching a teenage boy have intercourse with a calf, calling the experience "so tender". Meanwhile, rather than repairing Marc's van, Bartel snoops through Marc's living quarters and takes his mobile phone and some amateur pornographic photographs presented to Marc by a fan (Brigitte Lahaie).
That night, Bartel becomes even more aggressive, working himself into a frenzy while recalling his adulterous wife Gloria who abandoned him years before. He insists that Marc sing him a song before going to bed. The next day, Marc finds the homemade porn in the inn and realizes Bartel has been going through his things; when he attempts to call for help, he discovers that the telephone Bartel has been regularly using isn't even wired into the wall. Confronting Bartel, Marc discovers him vandalizing the van and pouring petrol over it; Bartel knocks Marc unconscious and blows the van up.
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Wikipedia