Koen Van Sande’s debut feature, Clean, recently the closing title of FilmFestival Oostende, world-premiered in the festival’s Avant-première section. Its Belgian theatrical release takes place on 11 March, courtesy of KFD - Kinepolis Film Distribution.

In the movie, Mathieu (Tibo Vandenborre) is an ambitious police commissioner working with the Brussels anti-drug unit, fighting dealers and drug runners. While his day-to-day life revolves around fighting the scourge of narcotics, his brother Timo (Vincent Van Sande) suffers from a severe heroin addiction, and to save him, Mathieu shields him from the outside world. He is convinced that only strict isolation can help him overcome his addiction. The plot is inspired by the real-life story of Peter Muyshondt, who oversaw the police presence at the Tomorrowland music festival and who, after losing his brother to heroin, became an anti-war on drugs activist.

This Belgian debut feature is definitely rooted in an intriguing plot, yet it is perhaps one we have seen too many times before – the inner struggle of a man torn between duty and personal factors has been portrayed in many different ways in all branches of the arts, and it has proven to work. Now, the real achievement is to be able to add something more to that narrative element and enable the audience to feel like they’re being told something sufficiently new and interesting to justify the effort. In this sense, Clean arguably steers clear of that risk by constructing a well-paced story that manages to hook the audience, despite the evident conflict at its core. Sometimes, rather than using overcomplicated plots, filmmakers should learn the craft of assembling simple elements into an even flow. Van Sande’s work has done something quite remarkable in this sense, considering that this is his first attempt at feature directing.

From a technical point of view, Clean is very well put together, but the impression of it being akin to a TV movie lingers more than once. Maybe this should not be seen as a negative aspect, meaning that the film could work in additional contexts, on both the small and the big screen, but it also implies that it follows paradigmatic rules that, on more than one occasion, prevent it from doing any real experimentation, which would have benefited the somewhat conventional story. That being said, the cinematography by Huyn De Grande and the overall sound design by Filip Jacobs are worthy of praise.

On the whole, the film flows with ease, and its 104 minutes feel dense and tightly paced. Alongside the tension that lends the film an action-like quality, the screenplay, co-written by the director with Daniel Lambo and Jacques Boon, also allows the story to unfold more gently, paying particular attention to the physiological causes of addiction. There is an interesting approach to the way the two brothers are portrayed, and a refreshing lack of judgement when it comes to the character of Timo. Thus, the story feels layered and well-rounded, and it succeeds in meeting the expectations of different types of audiences.

Clean is a production by Cartouche (Belgium), in co-production with Popocatepetl and BNP Paribas Fortis Film Finance. Its world sales rights are still up for grabs.