King of the Belgians (2016)

Directed by: Peter Brosens, Jessica Woodworth | 96 minutes | comedy, drama | Actors: Peter van den Begin, Lucie Debay, Titus de Voogdt, Bruno Georis, Goran Radakovic, Pieter van der Houwen, Nina Nikolina, Valentin Ganev, Nathalie Laroche

The monarchy is really just an outdated form of government, as the dryly comic ‘King of the Belgians’ initially seems to argue. The Belgian King on duty, Nicholas III (strong role by Peter van den Begin) is a plaything of the British filmmaker who makes a documentary about him, a puppet of his assistants and wife and the lap dog of the people. He is a lone ruler at a time when lone rulers no longer play a significant role. The greater the distance from the people, the more the King tries to prove that he can still be of value to the fatherland. Seen from this point of view, the monarchy is in itself a purely absurdist profession. ‘King of the Belgians’ takes it even further with mockery by placing the monarch in an apparently hopeless situation that further ridicules his monarchy.

When the best man and his entourage are in Istanbul for a state visit, Wallonia has just declared its independence. The King immediately wants to go home to present himself as the one and only guardian of the fatherland. However, a solar storm over Turkey throws a spanner in the works. Aircraft are forced to stay on the ground. The only way to reach the homeland is by land. Through the Balkans, relatively unknown to the West.

The fact that ‘King of the Belgians’ has the King of the Belgians as main character is no accident. The country over which he holds sway is divided into two incompatible language areas with, also in reality, an overarching statesman who seems incapable of doing anything about it. That fact is once again a superlative degree of absurdism, but ironically on a larger scale it is precisely the problem that the whole of Europe is yielding to. The umbrella organization of countries that, no more coincidentally, is based in Brussels, Belgium.

The fact that the almost stateless Prince must try to reach his homeland via a refugee route, forces the viewer to face the facts. Europe is divided, just like Belgium is. In the rigidity of the Member States, union is difficult to achieve. King Nicholas is also powerless to do anything about it. Or, more precisely, his rigid vassals prevent him from taking the initiative. For a long time, the King is portrayed as a stiff passive child. Not because he is like himself, but mainly because his profession demands it of him. In fact, the man knows no freedom until his death.

But when protocols expire, the burden on his shoulders disappears like snow in the sun. The endearing Monarch thaws, rediscovers his motivations and realizes he has faith more than ever in the future of the country he loves. Moreover, he learns that the choice for rigid seclusion is not the right one. He is there to unite the people. To unite Belgium. And ultimately also to bring Europe together. But that will only work if he can take full control of his life. And bring the Odyssey home to a successful conclusion. Although ‘King of the Belgians’ has the necessary coincidences, they do not distract from the primary message of the film. The Monarchy doesn’t have to be so crazy.