LEFT BANK

(A.k.a. LINKEROEVER)

Marie (Eline Kuppens) is a local athlete who allows her unforgiving trainer to physically push her on the racetrack, despite growing increasingly jaded with her punishing regime.

Handsome young Bobby (Matthias Schoenaerts) catches her eye in the communal showers a few times and even gives her a lift into town one day following a particularly gruelling workout. He drops her off and she shops for shoes, where she collapses and is later told be her family doctor that she must rest her body indefinitely.

Feeling harassed by her trainer and her pushy parents, Marie begins to withdraw from her surroundings, finding it increasingly difficult to get out of bed and face the world on a morning.

But she finds comfort in the charming Bobby, who takes her on a date to the cinema and puts her at ease simply by not mentioning her training needs, or physical wariness. They end the date by retiring to Bobby's plush apartment where they fuck in an erotic scene reminiscent of DON'T LOOK NOW (even though Bobby's breasts are larger than Marie's...).

Waking up happy for the first time in ages the following morning, Marie rings her parents and advises she'll be staying at her "friend's" for a while. She then makes herself at home at Bobby's and seems content ... but then things get strange.

For a start, it's tough to say which is odder - the succession of strange neighbours Marie encounters in the apartment block, or the recurring dreams of rebirth that she starts having.

One neighbour, a nervous mother, stops by to inform Marie of the unexplained disappearance of the last tenant to stay in Apartment 12 before her and Bobby. She leaves behind a clue that had been found at the time - a strange, stained note...

Later, Marie quizzes Bobby over the apartment's history. He admits he knew of the girl's disappearance, and that that was why the place became available at such an agreeable rate. He doesn't seem concerned with the fate of the previous tenant.

But Marie's curiosity is not sated. This, coupled with her fragile mental state induced by her weak physical condition, leads to more surreal - perhaps prophetic - occurrences ... and a belief system that teeters between paranoia and a realisation of the growing horrors around her.

Playing a little like ROSEMARY'S BABY in this last respect, LEFT BANK also evokes the sinister foreboding of THE WICKER MAN as it builds to a claustrophobic finale.

LEFT BANK (the title refers to a region of Antwerps which is still quiet and secluded to this day, after having been used as a dumping ground for criminals in the Middle Ages) is beautifully shot, expertly controlled in terms of tenor and pace, and even obvious contrivances in the script department are tempered somewhat by intelligent dialogue. Along with the other films already mentioned there are also echoes of THE TENANT and DARK WATER here and there, but screenwriters Christophe Dirickx and Dimitri Karakatsanis retain just enough of their own identity and mood to ensure this Belgian film shines on its own terms.

Director Pieter Van Hees shoots with an eye for moody interior visuals and a readiness to let his story unravel at a sustained, leisurely pace. The film begins as a drama, moving through psychological thriller territory with a fair bit of eroticism thrown in for good measure, before upping the ante and delving into horror when required. The strategy works: although some may find the film slow initially, the deceptively laidback beginning only serves to amplify the darkness when it arrives.

My only gripe is that in the last year alone this is the third film to tread a very similar terrain plot-wise (I'm reticent in naming the other two, as it would be too much of a spoiler). Obviously you can't blame this on a small Belgian crew who were most likely unaware of the other productions working concurrently on the other side of the Atlantic, but it still remains that the impact of the films surprise element is somewhat undermined as a result.

LEFT BANK is presented uncut for its UK DVD debut.

The transfer is magnificent. The crisp anamorphic 2.35:1 presentation does full justice to the stunning locations, sunny exteriors and Nicolas Karakatsanis' sublime cinematography, gracing them with clean and sharp images along with a surprising amount of depth.

Dutch audio is presented in 5.1 and sounds very good indeed. Clean enough to ensure silence is heard when required, and well balanced enough to provide clear audibility of dialogue and jarring music throughout. Optional English subtitles are well written and easy to read.

The screener disc provided did not have a scene-selection menu, and only proffered a 2-minute original trailer as an extra.

An early press release for the DVD suggests that the retail disc will also contain a production diary, outtakes, deleted scenes and a posters and stills gallery.

LEFT BANK is perhaps a little too low-key for the most part to stand the test of time as a modern classic. It does however boast many fine performances, a nuanced script and a director unafraid to mix horror dynamics with arthouse aesthetics (in this respect, it's not too distantly removed from its Euro cousin LET THE RIGHT ONE IN).

One to watch.

Review by Stu Willis