Alternative TIFF 2010 Picks: #1. Koen Mortier’s 22nd of May

#1. 22nd of May

Director: Koen Mortier
Cast: Sam Louwyck, Titus De Voogdt, Norman Baert, Wim Willaert, Jan Hammenecker
Distributor: Rights Available.

Buzz: It’s a major coup that TIFF managed to land the world premiere to this sampling of dystopian madness. From the ultra talented creator behind Ex Drummer (which was shown at TIFF in 2007 and its charged content probably sent a couple of patrons out the doors early), the mind blowing trailer below only demonstrates that Mortier’s packed tool box contains some gnarly heavy duty visual tricks.   

The Gist: Sam wakes up, gets ready and goes to do his daily job. And then the unexpected happens. A bomb explodes in the center of the shopping mall where he works. He drags himself towards the entrance to save the victims. One by one he pulls them out, until something terrible takes place. In complete hysteria he runs off till he falls down from exhaustion. A woman’s voice makes him raise his head. She’s one of the victims he saved. She wants to know why the suicide bomber did it. This encounter projects him back in history and even in a surreal world. Thereafter he runs into everyone he saved and feels that their defeat shows many parallels with his own. Even his confrontation with the wrongdoer isn’t that straightforward as he thought it would be and confronts him with the fact that guilt and innocence can be pretty much alike.

TIFF Schedule: Monday September 13 6:45:00 PM AMC 7
Tuesday September 14 7:00:00 PM AMC 7
Saturday September 18 3:00:00 PM AMC 10