Brussels by Night is a Belgian drama film from 1983, directed by former Humo journalist Marc Didden. The low budget picture was financed partly by Herman Schueremans, organizer of the Flemish rock festival Rock Werchter. The film was named after a 1979 song by Raymond van het Groenewoud, who also wrote the soundtrack for the movie.[1][2][3]
| Brussels by Night | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Marc Didden |
| Written by | Marc Didden Dominique Deruddere |
| Produced by | Erwin Provoost |
| Starring | François Beukelaers Ingrid De Vos Amid Chakir |
| Edited by | Ludo Troch |
| Music by | Raymond van het Groenewoud |
Release date |
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Running time | 92 min. |
| Languages | Dutch, French |
Brussels by Night was important in Belgian film history because its bleak, grey atmosphere and stream of consciousness structure were a sharp contrast with the more conventional films the country produced up to then.
Brussels 1983. Max is seriously depressed. He tries to commit suicide by sticking a gun in his mouth, but when the gun jams, he cries nevertheless. We follow him as he travels through Brussels without any goal and provokes everyone he meets. His mood changes at the most unpredictable moments. Max meets two people, Alice, a bar keeper, and Abdel, her customer of Moroccan descent. Both men fancy Alice as their mistress. The climax of the story takes place on the Ronquières inclined plane.