"Ex Drummer" by Koen Mortier could be described as a major update of the tradition started by Benoit Poelvoorde's masterpiece "C'est arrivé pres de chez vous".
It is the story of three handicapped social outcasts who dream of becoming famous and therefore asking a famous writer to become the drummer of their band. After some initial hesitation - they smell awful, look like a bunch of retards and so on - the writer decides to join the band. He thinks there might be a story in it. In what follows, we join the band members in their extreme lives dealing with drug abuse, Alzheimer's, marital problems, neglected children, aggression and consented anal rape by a guy with a 20 inch dick (only to name a few events).
In their quest for fame the band members seem to tolerate an awful lot from the writer. He immediately takes control of the band and interferes with their personal life. He is always looking for a good story and will stop at nothing to inflict even more wounds.
The film is full of what seems to be explicit sex and gratuitous depictions violence, so it is definitely hard to watch for the faint of heart. There also is no way you won't be offended in one way or another by this film. Dealing blows to the handicapped, gays, gay bashers, the marginalized, and women and men in general it doesn't spare a single minority, special interest group or human being. Looking back on it, the sex and violence is rather essential to understand to a fuller extent the raw and miserable lives of the characters.
The film has a great visual flair, which I think is part due to the wonderful art direction, but also great visual effects and direction. It is amazing how they could do all this on such a tight budget. Because the film is about a rock band the music is also very important. The film features the music of some of Belgium's finest: Millionaire. Their noisy stoner vibes integrate well in the story.
Coming out of the theater I was filled with a strange combination of disgust and fulfillment. This film is not for everyone, but it is a nice effort to make this kind of raw film in Belgium. a film which, according to some, makes "Trainspotting" look like a children's program.
It is the story of three handicapped social outcasts who dream of becoming famous and therefore asking a famous writer to become the drummer of their band. After some initial hesitation - they smell awful, look like a bunch of retards and so on - the writer decides to join the band. He thinks there might be a story in it. In what follows, we join the band members in their extreme lives dealing with drug abuse, Alzheimer's, marital problems, neglected children, aggression and consented anal rape by a guy with a 20 inch dick (only to name a few events).
In their quest for fame the band members seem to tolerate an awful lot from the writer. He immediately takes control of the band and interferes with their personal life. He is always looking for a good story and will stop at nothing to inflict even more wounds.
The film is full of what seems to be explicit sex and gratuitous depictions violence, so it is definitely hard to watch for the faint of heart. There also is no way you won't be offended in one way or another by this film. Dealing blows to the handicapped, gays, gay bashers, the marginalized, and women and men in general it doesn't spare a single minority, special interest group or human being. Looking back on it, the sex and violence is rather essential to understand to a fuller extent the raw and miserable lives of the characters.
The film has a great visual flair, which I think is part due to the wonderful art direction, but also great visual effects and direction. It is amazing how they could do all this on such a tight budget. Because the film is about a rock band the music is also very important. The film features the music of some of Belgium's finest: Millionaire. Their noisy stoner vibes integrate well in the story.
Coming out of the theater I was filled with a strange combination of disgust and fulfillment. This film is not for everyone, but it is a nice effort to make this kind of raw film in Belgium. a film which, according to some, makes "Trainspotting" look like a children's program.
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