Stefan, a migrant construction worker living in Brussels, is planning a trip home to his mother in Romania. In preparing for his voyage, he reconnects with local family members over gifted bowls of homemade soup, interacts with strangers, and discovers a revivifying commune with nature. This leads him to an unexpected connection with Shuxiu, a Chinese-Belgian bryologist studying the local moss.
Stefan Gota
Stefan
Liyo Gong
Shuxiu
Cédric Luvuezo
Cedric
Teodor Corban
Mihai
Saadia Bentaïeb
Saadia
Alina Constantin
Anca
ShuHuan Wang
ShuHuan
Victor Claudio Zichil
Radu
Jovial Mbenga
Jovial
Sanae Khamlichi
Polly
Stella Kitoga
Woman in Bus
Misha van der Werf
Delivery Boy
Bogdan Palie
Mechanic
Giovanni Chiva
Mechanic
Bogdan Sofronea
Construction Worker
Laurent Kumba
Construction Worker
Maaike Neuville
Construction Worker
Joris Van Loon
Construction Worker
Marian Uram
Construction Worker
Hafsa Aqqal
Bus Passenger
Loes Jacobs
Bus Passenger
Chaïmae Sebbar
Bus Passenger
Pilar Verbinnen
Devis, Lien
Ghasem Mousavi
Nurse
Rudy Verbinnen
Smoking Patient
Lien Devos
Subway Passenger
Marianne De Keyser
Subway Passenger
Simon Allemeersch
Subway Passenger
Karim Akalay
Subway Passenger
Director, Writer
Bas Devos
June 8, 2024
7
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.
Status:
Released
Original Language:
French
Budget:
$0.00
Revenue:
$0.00