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Moscow, Belgium

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Moscow, Belgium
Aanrijding in Moscou
Directed byChristophe van Rompaey
Story byJean-Claude van Rijckeghem, Pat van Beirs
Produced byJean-Claude van Rijckeghem
StarringBarbara Sarafian
Jurgen Delnaet
Johan Heldenbergh
Distributed byKinepolis Film Distribution
Release date
  • 2008 (2008)
CountryBelgium
LanguageDutch

Moscow, Belgium (Dutch: Aanrijding in Moscou, literally Collision in Moscou) is a 2008 Belgian film directed by Christophe Van Rompaey and written by Jean-Claude Van Rijckeghem and Pat van Beirs.[1]

Moscou is the name of a neighbourhood in Gentbrugge, in the Flemish city of Ghent.[2]

Plot

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Mathilda or "Matty" (Barbara Sarafian) is a bitter 41-year-old postal worker in Ghent, Belgium. She finds herself drifting through life, waiting for her husband Werner (Johan Heldenbergh) to decide if he wants to leave his current 22-year-old lover Gail and return to Matty and their three kids.[3]

One day after shopping at the supermarket, Matty backs into a yellow highway tractor in the parking lot. The owner of the truck is 29-year-old Johnny (Jurgen Delnaet).[4] They have an explosive argument over whose fault it is. Johnny rips into Matty and tries to put her in her place, but Matty gets the best of him and earns his respect. The police show up and they file a report. Johnny memorizes Matty's number from the police report and pursues her. He calls several times and one day shows up at her apartment, offering to fix the trunk of her car. At first she acts as though she's annoyed, but she secretly feels amused. After he fixes her car, she invites him to join her family for dinner. They have a good time and after dinner he proposes they go out for a drink. Unwillingly, Matty accepts, assuming it will be harmless. However, during the date, he relentlessly tries to persuade her to spend the night with him. She eventually gives in.[5]

The night they share together rejuvenates her. When Werner learns about Matty's affair with Johnny, he asks a friend at the police station to run a background check. They find out that he did time for an incident wherein he brutally attacked his wife and put her in the hospital for two weeks. One night at dinner, Matty's teenage daughter Vera asks Johnny if the charges are true and he shamefacedly says yes. Disgusted, Vera leaves the table and Matty tries to break things off with Johnny, but he explains that he had had too much to drink that night and after his ex-wife admitted she had been having an affair for three months, he went into a rage. Matty tries to resist his charm but can't, and things continue as though nothing has happened.[6]

Jealous that he might lose Matty, Werner tries to get her back. The three end up having dinner together. Johnny and Werner have an argument at the table, and both leave while Matty hides out in the laundry room. She realizes that Werner is the one making her unhappy and makes the decision to try having a relationship with Johnny. While they are out celebrating her decision, Johnny and Matty run into Johnny's yuppie ex-wife and her lawyer lover. At this point, Johnny is sloshed, having had a few too many drinks. All four end up in a heated argument, and Johnny ends up throwing a beer keg at the lawyer's car, shattering the windshield. Matty is disgusted at Johnny's lack of restraint and leaves. She tries to rekindle her romance with Werner, but there's no passion. A while later, Vera invites Matty to a karaoke bar, where they run into Johnny. He tries to serenade her, but she becomes disgusted again and leaves. She later goes back to try to find him before he departs for Italy.[7]

Cast

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Awards and nominations

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Year Group Award Winner/Nominee Result
2008 Cannes Film Festival ACID Award Won
Grand Golden Rail Won
Critics Week Grand Prize Won
Golden Camera Christophe Van Rompaey Nominated
SACD Award Jean-Claude Van Rijckeghem, Pat van Beirs Won
Denver International Film Festival Krzysztof Kieślowski Award for Best Feature Film Won
European Film Awards Best European Composer Tuur Florizoone Won
Zurich Film Festival New Talent Award Christophe Van Rompaey Won
Best Debut Won
São Paulo International Film Festival Best Feature Film Nominated
World Soundtrack Awards Discovery of the Year Tuur Florizoone Nominated
Public Choice Award Won
Listapad Best Actress Barbara Sarafian Won
2009 Palić European Film Festival FIPRESCI Prize - Best Film Won
Best Actress Barbara Sarafian Won
CPH PIX Politiken's Audience Award Christophe Van Rompaey Nominated
Bermuda International Film Festival Best Narrative Feature Christophe Van Rompaey Won
Fantasporto Directors' Week Award-Best Film Won
Media Wave International Film Festival Jury Award - Best Actress Barbara Sarafian Won
Youth Grand Prize - Best Film Won

References

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  1. ^ "Moscow, Belgium". aprivateview.be. 1 December 2009.
  2. ^ "Aanrijding in Moscou". pathe.nl (in Dutch). 15 June 2024.
  3. ^ "Aanrijding in Moscou - 2008, Christophe van Rompaey, 102 minuten". vprogids.nl (in Dutch). 12 August 2023.
  4. ^ "Moscow, Belgium". europeanfilmawards.eu. 15 June 2024.
  5. ^ "Aanrijding in Moscou - Belgische hit straalt inspiratie uit". filmkrant.nl/ (in Dutch). 30 October 2010.
  6. ^ "Aanrijding in Moscou". studioskoop.be (in Dutch). 13 July 2022.
  7. ^ "Aanrijding in Moscou (2008)". moviemeter.nl/ (in Dutch). 15 June 2024.
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