Cannes. Moscow, Belgium.

"Crossover hits from Flanders are rare and Flemish working-class romantic comedies even less so, but director Christophe van Rompaey may have actually made both when he made his feature film debut Aanrijding in Moscou (Moscow, Belgium)," writes Boyd van Hoeij at european-films.net. "Especially during its first hour, the Flemish box office sensation toys with cliché material with such an assured sense of direction and such a strong screenplay that it simply is a pleasure to watch."

"Although it may not sound like the most exciting place on earth, Moscow, Belgium is packed with plenty of drama, laughs and sentimental charm," writes Jordan Mintzer in Variety, noting that the film "features a knockout perf from actress Barbara Sarafian (8½ Women) as a mother of three caught in a love triangle with two good-natured losers."

Critics' Week.

Update, 5/19: "When care-worn Matty backs her battered family car into Johnny's truck in Christophe Van Rompaey's highly enjoyable romantic comedy Moscow, Belgium, triggering a torrential exchange of inventive abuse, you just know they were made for each other," writes Bernard Besserglik in the Hollywood Reporter. "The story of how they bridge their differences is one that should appeal to audiences of broadly varying tastes in Europe and to arthouse moviegoers around the world."

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Coverage of the coverage: Cannes 08.

Last year: Cannes @ 60. And Cannes 06.

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Posted by dwhudson at May 17, 2008 12:03 PM