Midsummer might not be a time typically associated with trips to the movies, but it's the perfect activity to escape the heat with the holidays in full swing.
The Brussels Times has selected a few of the best films and documentaries that cinephiles and curious cinema-goers alike should be sure not to miss this August.
New releases
'Memory' (2023), Cineflagey and Cinema Vendôme, various dates
Sylvia (Jessica Chastain) is a social worker who leads a simple and structured life defined by her daughter, job, and Alcoholics Anonymous meetings.
This is completely shaken up when Saul (Peter Sarsgaard) – who suffers from early onset dementia – follows her home from their high school reunion. Their surprise encounter will profoundly impact both of them as they open the door to the past.
Directed by Michel Franco, 'Memory' is a beautifully-told story which deals with trauma, pain and healing with an award-winning stellar cast.
Find more information here.
'Longlegs' (2024), Cinema Aventure, various dates
When an unsolved serial killer case is assigned to FBI agent Lee Harker (Maika Monroe), the investigation quickly turns from occult and dark to dangerously personal.
Written and directed by Oz Perkins, this tense thriller stars Nicolas Cage as a Longlegs, the satanic serial killer whose methods and persona are both unsettling and captivating, and the film has been highly anticipated by horror fans.
Find more information here.
'MaXXXine' (2024), Cinema Aventure, various dates
In 1980s Hollywood, adult film star and aspiring actress Maxine Minx (Mia Goth) finally gets her big break. But as a mysterious killer stalks the starlets of Hollywood, a trail of blood threatens to reveal her sinister past.
'MaXXXine' is the third instalment in American director Ti West's X film series, following 'X' and 'Pearl' (both 2022), and has been described as an "uneven but vibrant pastiche that drives a stiletto through Hollywood's heart."
Find more information here.
'Fremont' (2023), Cineflagey and Cinema Vendôme, various dates
Donya, a lonely Afghan refugee and former translator for the US military, spends her 20s drifting through life in Fremont, California. She lives in a building with other Afghan immigrants and often dines alone at a local restaurant watching soap operas.
As she suffers from insomnia and survivor's guilt, the film flickers between sessions with her eccentric therapist and her job at a Chinese fortune cookie factory. In a moment of sudden revelation, she decides to send out a special message out to the world in a cookie, unsure where it will lead.
Find more information here.
It's all Greek to me
Although Yorgos Lanthimos' blockbusters 'Kinds of Kindness' (2024) and 'Poor Things' (2023) are currently the talk of the town, it is well worth diving into the Greek director's earlier works. A selection of Lanthimos films are being screened in Brussels this summer, but be warned: these viewings are not for the faint-hearted.
'The Killing of a Sacred Deer' (2017), Cinema Aventure, various dates
The Murphys (Colin Farrell and Nicole Kidman) are the epitome of a modern, middle class family with two children. But lurking at the margins of his idyllic suburban existence is Martin (Barry Keoghan), who insinuates himself into Mr Murphy's life in gradually unsettling ways.
As the true history of the pair's disturbing connection emerges, the family is thrown into a dark and ruthless chaos and terrifying existentialism. The film captures the universe's senseless cruelty and our inability to obstruct fate.
Find more information here.
'Dogtooth' (2009), Cinema Palace, various dates
Lanthimos' breakthrough tale of repressive authoritarianism, 'Dogtooth', is no less hair-raising. But this time, the director puts the emphasis on control over chaos as a manipulative father attempts to fear-monger his family about felines.
Three infantilised adult children are confined to an isolated country estate. The trio spend their days listening to endless homemade tapes which teach them a whole new vocabulary, with 'sea' meaning armchair and 'zombies' being little yellow flowers. The controlling parents invent a brother, whom they claim to have ostracised for his disobedience, to terrorise their offspring into submission – with devastating consequences.
Find more information here.
Golden oldies
'The Rocky Horror Picture Show' (1975), Cinema Palace, 9 August
While the initial reception of the film was extremely negative, devoted fans later saved it from dying a silent death and turned it into a cult classic. Nearly 50 years later, the film still has just as many fans who regularly take part in interactive screenings of the film.
One stormy night, the car of Janet (Susan Sarandon) and Brad breaks down and they are forced to take refuge in a mysterious castle, where they meet its occupants, who are – to say the least – strange and engaged in some even stranger experiments. In line with the film's plot, the screening will be hosted by Edna Sorgelsen, a legendary figure on the Brussels drag scene.
Find more information here.
'My Neighbour Totoro' (1988), Cinema Palace, various dates
An icon in its genre, the Japanese animated fantasy film from the 1980s focuses on two young sisters and their interactions with friendly wood spirits in postwar rural Japan.
When the girls move to the Japanese countryside with their father to spend time with their ill mother, they meet a mythical forest sprite and its wondrous woodland friends, and have many magical adventures with them.
Find more information here.
For true Ghibli fans, 14 of the Studio's masterpieces – from 'Princess Mononoke' and 'Howl's Moving Castle' to 'Spirited Away' and Miyazaki's latest, 'The Boy and the Heron' – will also be coming back to the big screen in Belgium throughout August.
Festivals
L'Heure d’Été 2024 – Focus Danse, Vauxhall, until 22 August
What better way to enjoy the summer months than to sit back and enjoy a film screening outside? Luckily the beautiful Vauxhall venue has just the answer. Partnering with Cinema Galeries, Vauxhall will be showing three different films and documentaries this month, each with a focus on dance.
Credit: Vauxhall Summer Brussels
'Strike a Pose' (2016) on 8 August tells the moving story of Madonna's most famous dance troupe on her most controversial tour in the 1990s; 'If It Were Love' (2020) on 15 August documents 15 young dancers' work and intimate relationships as they tour Crowd, Gisèle Vienne's dance piece on the 1990s rave scene; and finally the original 'Hairspray' (1988), set in 1960s Baltimore, sees Tracy Turnblad dance her way to fame and speak up against racism and segregation.
Find more information here.
Other languages
'Radical' (2024), Cinema Vendôme, various dates
Based on a true story, this "sublimely moving" multi-award-winning film tells the story of a teacher who uses new methods to unlock his failing pupils' potential.
Enthusiastic teacher Sergio Correa (Eugenio Derbez) arrives at his new school in Matamoros, Mexico, on the border with Texas, but soon discovers that the school desperately lacks resources and and the town is plagued by neglect, corruption and violence. He therefore resorts to a radical approach to inspire his students and offer them a better future.
Find more information here.
With special thanks to Maïthé Chini, Rita Alves and Ciara Carolan for their contributions.
