''Steve + Sky'' is a 2004

Belgian Belgian may refer to: * Something of, or related to, Belgium * Belgians, people from Belgium or of Belgian descent * Languages of Belgium, languages spoken in Belgium, such as Dutch, French, and German *Ancient Belgian language, an extinct languag ...

comedy Comedy is a genre of fiction that consists of discourses or works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. The term o ...

drama Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has b ...

film written and directed by Felix Van Groeningen in his

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. It stars

Titus De Voogdt Titus De Voogdt (born July 4, 1979) is a Belgian actor. Biography De Voogdt earned a master's degree in sculpture at the Sint-Lucas School of Architecture in Ghent. He started his acting career in theater and is mainly known for his performa ...

, Delfine Bafort and Johan Heldenbergh. The film is set in Kortrijksesteenweg in

Ghent Ghent ( nl, Gent ; french: Gand ; traditional English: Gaunt) is a city and a municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of the East Flanders province, and the third largest in the country, exceeded i ...

, which is known for its many brothels, and follows two 22-year-olds whose lives crosses paths.

Cast

as Steve * Delfine Bafort as Sky * Johan Heldenbergh as Jean-Claude * Romy Bollion as Charlotte * Wine Dierickx as Nikita

Plot

Steve is a small-time drug runner, sentenced to time in prison when he is caught after his girlfriend accidentally rear-ends a police van. While in prison he meets Jean-Claude, a wheelchair user, and together they agree to start stealing motorcycles after they are both released. Sky is a drifter, employed in a series of part-time jobs including prostitute and factory worker. There are two encounters between the two, both while at a bowling alley, before they first meet formally, at a brothel that Jean-Claude has opened, as Sky is a friend of Jean-Claude's daughter Charlotte. The two start a casual relationship, but Sky seems to be genuinely in love whereas Steve if less committed. Steve plans to move to

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with Jean-Claude to start a business, but it is ambiguous as to whether they actually make it. The film ends with Steve almost running over Sky while she is dancing across a pedestrian crossing and he is speeding in a stolen motorbike.

Release

The film was released on February 18, 2004 in Belgium by Kinepolis Film Distribution. It also received a limited release by Lifesize Entertainment on July 8, 2005 in the United States.

Critical reception

Dana Stevens of ''

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'' gave the film a negative review, writing: "With its deliberately washed-out color palette, affectless dialogue and nearly event-free story line, "Steve + Sky" is a mere slip of a movie, a wan character study of people who add up to little more than a series of studied quirks" but praised the performances of the two lead actors. Eddie Cockrell of ''

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'' wrote: "Promising frosh helmer Felix van Groeningen exhibits a fresh eye, though his script is full of too many self-consciously Tarantino-ish verbal digressions that serve to distract from the story". The film won Best Film and Best Composer at the 2004 Joseph Plateau Awards.

References

{{Felix Van Groeningen 2004 films Belgian comedy-drama films 2004 comedy-drama films 2000s Dutch-language films Films directed by Felix van Groeningen Films set in Belgium Films shot in Belgium Films shot in Ghent Ghent in fiction 2004 comedy films 2004 drama films