MICHIEL BLANCHART | FRANCE, BELGIUM | 2024 | 91 MIN | FRENCH
Though home to towering Gothic cathedrals and other awe-inspiring structures jutting into the sky for tourists to gawk at, the seedy Brussels of co-writer/director Michiel Blanchart’s debut Night Call is anything but heavenly. The windy, dark streets and dilapidated tenements are home to dangerous criminal behavior and myriad citizens simply seeking shelter. For the young, timid Black student Mady (Jonathan Feltre), a Black Lives Matter protest that ignites the evening air with flares and chants for justice is a clear sign to stay home. Yet a simple house call for the moonlighting locksmith forces Mady into the violent orbit of a mysterious woman, a ruthless mob boss, and a sea of criminals. As the protests escalate on the streets, Mady’s wild, one-night descent into the underworld of Brussels becomes a kinetic fight for survival and an awakening to the injustices afoot. Blanchart concocts a suspenseful, hair-raising thriller that highlights the plight of the city’s many unheard denizens while simultaneously crafting an exquisitely brutal action film that would make even John Wick proud.
Cast: Jonathan Feltre, Natacha Krief, Jonas Bloquet, Thomas Mustin
All sales are final. Admission is not guaranteed after scheduled start time.
Click HERE for more information about the 33rd Philadelphia Film Festival