Jaco van Dormael

There is so much going on, both stylistically and story-wise, that it may be a bit much the first time around. Even so, the film leaves you with a feeling of having watched something very special.

A superbly fun and charming mix of comedy and fantasy. Van Dormael creates a world that thrives on an endless stream of ingenious little details. The execution is terrific, the acting exemplary. Just a smidgen too repetitive during the middle part, but don't let that hold you back, because there is so much to enjoy here.

A rather dark and sullen drama, but executed with a lot of glee. What could've been a pretty depressive affair becomes a frivolous and joyous little film that charms from start to finish. Nicely directed, well acted and full of cheeky details. With a bit of extra visual polish this could've been a masterpiece, luckily van Dormael himself would fix that in his more recent work.

Decent mix of drama and comedy, but the more straightforward execution of the story makes it the weakest of all van Dormael films. The film plays like a lesser version of Kikujiro, with some charming moments, but also quite a few misfires. Overall the drama just doesn't entice enough and the direction isn't as frivolous as it could've been.