Part of Passports: An International Film Series
HERE follows Stefan, a Romanian construction worker living in Brussels who is about to return home to visit his mother, and maybe stay…longer. Using the leftovers from his fridge, he cooks up a big pot of soup and begins handing it out as farewell gifts to friends and family. But while waiting for his car to be fixed, he meets Shuxiu, a Belgian-Chinese woman preparing a doctorate on mosses. Her attention to the near-invisible stops him in his tracks. On the heels of GHOST TROPIC (2019), Bas Devos offers another Brussels city symphony. With a quiet grace that’s becoming a trademark, he and his team capture both the longing of contemporary urban life and the potential for enchantment that still exists in spaces shared by strangers from different worlds.
"One-word titles like that of the Belgian writer and director Bas Devos’s HERE can create a minuet of meaning. In this hushed drama that gently rebuffs the beats of a love story even as it hints at one, the word is a call for the viewer’s attention and an acknowledgment of place.." —Manohla Dargis, NYT Critic’s Pick, New York Times "A movie of quiet magnificence, one that feels spun of gossamer summer light and rooted in unshakeable depths… [A] profound yet miraculously weightless feature." —Sheri Linden, Hollywood Reporter "It might be the most benevolent film of this year… A film flush with everyday pleasures... an almost-perfect little film." —Rory O'Connor, The Film Stage "Establishing a deeper connection with the world — whether through exchanging stories with the recipients of his soup, exploring the lush forest on the outskirts of Brussels, pursuing a budding romance with a fellow immigrant, or a combination of the three — appears to be a potential cure for what ails Stefan. HERE presents this theme with a modesty that seems to radiate from Stefan himself, offering his world to us through rich, dreamy imagery and with an endearing simplicity." —Pat Brown, Slant Magazine "Remarkable… A quietly overwhelming study of human connection and our relationship with the natural world." —Tim Grierson, Screen Daily
