Michael Roskam's Bullhead is a film of rare power and one of the most impressive debuts in recent years. Following Jacky Vanmarsenille, a cattle farmer with a rough past, who unwillingly becomes part of a sinister plot involving the illegal trading of hormones and murder, it is dialogue-heavy and contains scenes of knuckle-biting tension. It's a careful character study and lays bare the effects of childhood trauma, a scene that is unbearably difficult to watch and so strong it can be felt within every frame following it, captured fantastically by up and coming Matthias Schoenaerts. Much like Michael Shannon did in Take Shelter the same year, the central performance of this film is riveting on a subconscious level. Jacky's anger,…

I have a pretty high tolerance for violence in films, sometimes I actually enjoy it! There's one scene in Bullhead that went too far for me. Because I want to avoid spoilers I can't say much more than it involves a child and it's graphic not only because of what's shown, but because of what's deliberately not shown. I became physically ill and had to stop the film. I came back and finished the rest after I calmed down a bit, and I ended up enjoying it overall, but I'll never be able to get rid of that one scene.

Bullhead is a tough-to-watch but extremely well done gritty crime drama about a cattle farmer named Jacky who seems destined…

30 Countries, 30 Days.
Day 4

Country: Belguim
Time Period: present, flashbacks 30 years
Theme: No satisfaction in revenge, moments in youth that affect people every day
Style of Subtitle: Thin, sleek font white letters centered at bottom. Occasional dash if two people speaking.
Funniest / Oddest Subtitle: A variety involving balls
What did I learn about the country: The terms Flemish and Walloons.
Coincidental relation to last country I watched: There is a language border
I heard there's an American remake planned: Starring Tom Hardy as Jacky, Directed by Darren Aronofsky.

What a beautifully photographed film. Bullhead is not the movie I selected for this country, but so many people rave about, and I felt compelled to see more…

What an outstanding performance by Matthias Schoenaerts. It's a good thing too because he carries the picture. At first I thought it was going to be a gangster type film about the hormone drug trade, but it really is about Jacky Vanmarsenille and how a horrible event in his youth has informed every thing about him. He truly is outstanding as an embarrassed, lonely young man who wants what he thinks he can't have. There is nothing off about Schoenaerts portrayal. Every look, every word is authentic. And this actor can say more with his eyes than most.

The ending of the film, with events unfolding to music that gets louder and louder, reminiscent of I Am Love, is dramatic…

This is the twelfth film in the Second Letterboxd Festival.

Whoa. That was not what I expected.

Bullhead seems like a Belgium gangster movie about cattle, but after some set up really becomes a deep, extremely dark character study and it absolutely floored me. I loved how the crime aspect was layered beneath the more personal side of the film. It is there to serve as a framework, but doesn't end up being overly complicated and never gets in the way of Jacky's story.

This is similar to the technical side of the film as well.

There is a confidence to both the filmmaking and the performances, Matthias Schoenaerts in particular who rightfully gets a lot of accolades, that had…

YES! Really good movie that has me motivated to start going through all the 2012 releases I've missed.

The film stars Matthias Schoenaerts(who does a great job in a great role, which you already know) as a young guy working on his family's cow farm. The family uses steroids on the animals and he uses even more on himself. Soon his world becomes entangled with some artificial hormone-mobsters, which apparently exist.

I loved the pace; it might be slightly too long but it's a perfect blend of drama and character development. The emotional plot points work really well, quite restrained for the most part, and they hit their marks. Schoenaerts' performance really carries the film; He is the definition of…

Een pikzwart scherm wordt gevolgd door een haast sacraal beeld van een veld te midden het Limburgse hinterland. ‘soms gebeuren er dingen in’t leven waarvan een mens stil van wordt’ horen we de voice-over in een vuistdik truiens accent aankondigen. De toon van ‘Rundskop’ is meteen gezet. Daar, te midden van de Vlaamsche velden, there were poppies blow en daar waar boerenvrouwe Mira ooit lag te stoeien met de jonge Jan Decleir is het niet al peis en vree in ‘Rundskop’, het debuut en stevige (runds)kopstoot van Michael R. Roskam.

Michael R. Roskam, die in het verleden de geweldige kortfilms ‘The One thing To do’ en ‘Carlo’ afleverde trekt voor zijn debuut naar zijn Heimat, de Sint-Truiense velden voor een…

30 Countries, 30 Days.
Day 4

Country: Belguim
Time Period: present, flashbacks 30 years
Theme: No satisfaction in revenge, moments in youth that affect people every day
Style of Subtitle: Thin, sleek font white letters centered at bottom. Occasional dash if two people speaking.
Funniest / Oddest Subtitle: A variety involving balls
What did I learn about the country: The terms Flemish and Walloons.
Coincidental relation to last country I watched: There is a language border
I heard there's an American remake planned: Starring Tom Hardy as Jacky, Directed by Darren Aronofsky.

What a beautifully photographed film. Bullhead is not the movie I selected for this country, but so many people rave about, and I felt compelled to see more…