The Carriers Are Waiting

Here's s a tragi-comic gem of a film. Benoît Poelvoorde (the star of Belgium's notorious Man Eat Dog) is tyrannical father Roger Closset, who aims to win a car by getting his teenage son Michel (Jean-Francois Devigne) to break the world record for, bizarrely, the most opening and closing of doors in 24 hours.

The plot also involves his young daughter Luise (the angelic Morgane Simon), and Felix (Phillipe Grand'Henry), the successful and reclusive pigeon fancier next door who she idolises.

Shot in crisp black and white the cinematography brings a stark bleakness to the Belgian cityscapes and the sometimes bleaker events that take place therein.

The script is witty and affecting, quirky and impressive, and the performances are spot on, especially from Poelvoorde, Simon and Grand'Henry.

Stylistically, it is akin to the work of the Finnish Tourist Board's greatest enemy, Aki Kaurismäki, yet Mariage's film has bigger laughs as well as more tragic lows. An impressive debut feature.