Belgian ‘Vitrival’ Offers a Slice of Life Mystery With a Dark Edge – The Hollywood Reporter

The small Belgian community of Vitrival, with a population of around 1,500, finds itself with a much higher profile these days. That is courtesy of Vitrival — The Most Beautiful Village in the World, the debut feature from Belgian writers-directors Noëlle Bastin, who grew up there, and Baptiste Bogaert. If you wonder what to expect, well, the movie, which world premiered at the Rotterdam Film Festival earlier this year, doesn’t fit neatly into traditional cinematic categories. Is it comedic? Definitely, as its depictions of small-town life in a real-life Belgian village will make you chuckle. Does it have dramatic elements? For sure, given a wave of suicides that plagues the village. Does it provide a healthy serving of slice of life? Yes. After all, it follows two police officers, who are cousins, driving around and interacting with other inhabitants. Does it mix reality and fiction? Totally. Among other things, key roles in the film are portrayed by real-life inhabitants of the village, including members of Bastin’s family. But the filmmakers aren’t too concerned with classifications. “For us, it’s just life,” Bogaert tells THR. “You can cry in the morning and you can laugh in the afternoon.” In fact, focusing too
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