22/05/2003 - Warm welcome for the Belgian director's first feature film: a drama set in De Thier's native Wallooon

The Directors' Fortnight audience gave Belgian newcomer, Thomas de Thier's first feature film, Des plumes dans la tête [+see also:
trailer
film profile], a very warm welcome. It is a beautifully photographed story of a family tragedy set against the backdrop of a sugar factory.
Life in Gennappe for Blanche and Jean-Pierre and their little boy, Arthur is just about perfect; peaceful and serene. Until, that is, tragedy strikes and Arthur drowns in the sugar beet pond and poor Blanche descends into madness.
Thomas de Thier decided to make his first feature film in a familiar setting, Genappe is situated a few kilometres from his home. As an adolescent, de Thier was an avid bird-watcher. “The sugar-beet ponds are now in disuse and have turned into ponds that attract migratory birds,” said de Thier. “The water is the colour of rust, and sometimes black, there are lots of dead trees sticking out of the water and the steep banks are completely covered in vegetation. The setting is similar to that in Tarkovsky’s L’enfance. I dreamt about returning to those ponds with a camera and filming the passing seasons. When a place inspires you, the story just flows.”
Thomas de Thier tells this tragic tale with poetical lyricism. Each and every image deserves to be made into a poster. Each scene caresses life with emotion, and is enhanced by classical music, capellas or the cries of the migrating birds. The filmmaker draws us into this natural paradise, and introduces us to his tragic story where images are more eloquent that the spoken word. DP Virginie Saint-Martin’s absolutely brilliant eye regales us with the brilliant colours of the felt-green grass, and the birds drinking from the edges of the pond in the summer, replacing them with the murky water of a grey and unwelcoming winter landscape. Sophie Musier catches the essence of Blanche and her gradual and sombre descent into a silence and madness that estranges her from reality so that she can live together wtih her imaginary son. The dead child that monopolises Blanche’s entire existence, 24-hours-a-day. Des plumes dans la tête was produced by Nicolas Meyer (Magellan Production – Belgium), Jacques Bidou and Marianne Dumoulin (JBA Production – France) and Films Distribution is handling the international sales.

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