19/08/2015 - Paradise Trips, a bedazzling comedy about the burden of the generation gap that weighs heavily on father/son relationships, stands as a testament to the talent of young Flemish director Raf Reyntjens

Paradise Trips by Raf Reyntjens

Today sees the release of Paradise Trips [+see also:
trailer
interview: Raf Reyntjens
film profile] in Belgian cinemas, a film by young Flemish director Raf Reyntjens. While this is his feature debut, Reyntjens has already carved out an impressive career for himself. His first two movies, the shorts A Message from outer Space and Tunnelrat, which boasted such names as Matthias Schoenaerts among their casts, were widely circulated around the globe. Furthermore, in parallel with his prolific career in the field of advertising, he also made two music videos for Stromae (Papaoutai and Peace or Violence), thus raking in a good number of prestigious business cards. His feature debut still has a connection to the world of music, as it recounts the journey undertaken by a bus driver who is entrusted with a rather special assignment, just before he goes into retirement. So far, he has spent his career helping pensioners enjoy their annual holidays on the Costa del Sol, but this time around, he is forced to escort a group of young people to an electronic music festival in Croatia. Suffice it to say that he intends to share very little time with these people, who he regards as a bunch of pests. But little by little, this final trip will force Mario to confront his many prejudices, as well as his own son, whom he believed to be lost.

Mario is played by Gene Bervoets, who has made regular appearances on Flemish television, but also on the silver screen, in such titles as the recent Image [+see also:
trailer
film profile] by Billal Fallah and Adil El Arbi. He can also be caught on screens soon in Wat Mannen Willen [+see also:
trailer
film profile] by Filip Peeters. Meanwhile, Jeroen Perceval takes on the role of the errant son: having recently played the hero in Plan Bart [+see also:
trailer
film profile], he has just finished filming Home by Fien Troch and D’Ardennen [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Robin Pront
film profile] by Robin Pront.

Paradise Trips is produced by Caviar, in co-production with Ijswater Film (the Netherlands) and Climax Films (Belgium), with the support of the Vlaams Audiovisuel Fonds. It is being distributed in Benelux by Cinéart. 

(Translated from French)