''Moscow, Belgium'' ( nl, Aanrijding in Moscou, literally ''Collision in Moscou'') is a

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

Belgian

film A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...

directed by

Christophe Van Rompaey Christophe may refer to: People * Christophe (given name), list of people with this name * Christophe (singer) (1945–2020), French singer * Cristophe (hairstylist) (born 1958), Belgian hairstylist * Georges Colomb (1856–1945), French comic ...

and written by

Jean-Claude Van Rijckeghem Jean-Claude is a French masculine given name. Notable people with the name include: * Jean-Claude Ades, an Italian electronic music producer * Jean-Claude Alibert (died 2020), a French racing driver * Jean-Claude Amiot (born 1939), a French compose ...

and Pat van Beirs.

Moscou Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million r ...

is the name of a neighbourhood in Gentbrugge, in the Flemish city of Ghent.

Plot

Mathilda or "Matty" (Barbara Sarafian) is a bitter 41-year-old postal worker in Ghent, Belgium. She finds herself drifting through life, waiting for her husband Werner (Johan Heldenbergh) to decide if he wants to leave his current 22-year-old lover Gail and return to Matty and their three kids. One day after shopping at the supermarket, Matty backs into a yellow highway tractor in the parking lot. The owner of the truck is 29-year-old Johnny (Jurgen Delnaet). They have an explosive argument over whose fault it is. Johnny rips into Matty and tries to put her in her place, but Matty gets the best of him and earns his respect. The police show up and they file a report. Johnny memorizes Matty's number from the police report and pursues her. He calls several times and one day shows up at her apartment, offering to fix the trunk of her car. At first she acts as though she's annoyed, but she secretly feels amused. After he fixes her car, she invites him to join her family for dinner. They have a good time and after dinner he proposes they go out for a drink. Unwillingly, Matty accepts, assuming it will be harmless. However, during the date, he relentlessly tries to persuade her to spend the night with him. She eventually gives in. The night they share together rejuvenates her. When Werner learns about Matty's affair with Johnny, he asks a friend at the police station to run a background check. They find out that he did time for an incident wherein he brutally attacked his wife and put her in the hospital for two weeks. One night at dinner, Matty's teenage daughter Vera asks Johnny if the charges are true and he shamefacedly says yes. Disgusted, Vera leaves the table and Matty tries to break things off with Johnny, but he explains that he had had too much to drink that night and after his ex-wife admitted she had been having an affair for three months, he went into a rage. Matty tries to resist his charm but can't, and things continue as though nothing has happened. Jealous that he might lose Matty, Werner tries to get her back. The three end up having dinner together. Johnny and Werner have an argument at the table, and both leave while Matty hides out in the laundry room. She realizes that Werner is the one making her unhappy and makes the decision to try having a relationship with Johnny. While they are out celebrating her decision, Johnny and Matty run into Johnny's yuppie ex-wife and her lawyer lover. At this point, Johnny is sloshed, having had a few too many drinks. All four end up in a heated argument, and Johnny ends up throwing a beer keg at the lawyer's car, shattering the windshield. Matty is disgusted at Johnny's lack of restraint and leaves. She tries to rekindle her romance with Werner, but there's no passion. A while later, Vera invites Matty to a karaoke bar, where they run into Johnny. He tries to serenade her, but she becomes disgusted again and leaves. She later goes back to try to find him before he departs for Italy.

Cast

* Barbara Sarafian as Matty * Jurgen Delnaet as Johnny * Johan Heldenbergh as Werner *

Anemone Valcke ''Anemone'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the buttercup family Ranunculaceae. Plants of the genus are commonly called windflowers. They are native to the temperate and subtropical regions of all continents except Australia, New Zealand an ...

as Vera * Sofia Ferri as Fien * Julian Borsani as Peter * Bob De Moor as Jacques *

Jits Van Belle The Jat people ((), ()) are a traditionally agricultural community in Northern India and Pakistan. Originally pastoralists in the lower Indus river-valley of Sindh, Jats migrated north into the Punjab region in late medieval times, and su ...

as Nicky * Griet van Damme as Nathalie * Camille Friant as Iris

Awards and nominations

Bermuda Film Festival ) , anthem = " God Save the King" , song_type = National song , song = "Hail to Bermuda" , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , mapsize2 = , map_caption2 = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = , ...

**Won: Best Narrative Feature (Christophe Van Rompaey) * Cannes Film Festival **Won: ACID Award (

) **Won: Grand Golden Rail (Van Rompaey) **Won: SACD Screenwriting Award (

and Pat van Beirs) * Denver Film Festival **Won: Best Film (Van Rompaey) * European Film Awards **Nominated: Best Composer (

Tuur Florizoone Tuur may refer to: *Abdirahman Ahmed Ali Tuur (1931-2003), Somalian politician *Regilio Tuur (1967), Dutch boxer *Regillio Tuur (1986), Belgian-born Surinamese footballer * Erkki-Sven Tüür (1959), Estonian composer *Mihkel Tüür Mihkel Tü� ...

) * Listapad **Won: Best Actress ( Barbara Sarafian) *

São Paulo Film Festival SAO or Sao may refer to: Places * Sao civilisation, in Middle Africa from 6th century BC to 16th century AD * Sao, a town in Boussé Department, Burkina Faso * Saco Transportation Center (station code SAO), a train station in Saco, Maine, U.S. ...

**Nominated: International Jury Award (Van Rompaey) * World Soundtrack Awards **Won: Public Choice Award (Florizoone) **Nominated: Discovery of the Year (Florizoone) * Zurich Film Festival **Won: New Talent Award (Van Rompaey)

External links

IMDb profile
{{Authority control 2008 films 2000s Dutch-language films Belgian LGBT-related films Ghent in fiction Belgium in fiction Films shot in Ghent