Well, it's a very original francophone movie about the European construction. As I have already said, if we are an Union of 27 states, it's still difficult to share our cultures and to know what happens outside our national frontiers. For one time, this comedy has the intelligence of digging this experience and try to capture the impact of the European ideal in the daily life. Choosing little borders towns and an endangered occupation like customs officers is excellent because all the story is already there.
In addition, i got strong ties with this setting: If it has been Italy or Spain, I wouldn't have been as interested as with Belgium, simply because Benelux is my third home for me as I lived there nearly for one year. In the same way, Polvorde was a personal pick because with Romain Duris and Michael Youn, it's the only francophone actor that I like. Boon and his cute pick for girlfriend are worthy of good mention. Finally as it happens during the best time of the year, Christmas time, I really plunged into the movie.
The production is very lavish, with a beautiful cinematography and it has indeed funny moments. Unfortunately, if the national antagonism is the real motor at the beginning, the machine becomes soon a drug trafficking case and loses a lot of its appeal. It's expected as the movie answers quickly how light the concept of nation can be: as the Belgium officer said countries are foremost a shared past thus something that can't really bound together the living people. Next, the European union isn't really chosen by its citizens but comes from political elite.
The only thing that still bothers me is why does the only song to be featured in this francophone production and that appears in a climax is an English one?
In addition, i got strong ties with this setting: If it has been Italy or Spain, I wouldn't have been as interested as with Belgium, simply because Benelux is my third home for me as I lived there nearly for one year. In the same way, Polvorde was a personal pick because with Romain Duris and Michael Youn, it's the only francophone actor that I like. Boon and his cute pick for girlfriend are worthy of good mention. Finally as it happens during the best time of the year, Christmas time, I really plunged into the movie.
The production is very lavish, with a beautiful cinematography and it has indeed funny moments. Unfortunately, if the national antagonism is the real motor at the beginning, the machine becomes soon a drug trafficking case and loses a lot of its appeal. It's expected as the movie answers quickly how light the concept of nation can be: as the Belgium officer said countries are foremost a shared past thus something that can't really bound together the living people. Next, the European union isn't really chosen by its citizens but comes from political elite.
The only thing that still bothers me is why does the only song to be featured in this francophone production and that appears in a climax is an English one?