Schellebelle 1919 (2011)

Directed by: Johan Heldenbergh, Kenneth Taylor | 101 minutes | drama | Actors: Ester Cattoir, Robbe De Waele, Jentel Tant, Arne Vereecken, Jo van de Velde, Maren Van Cauwenberge, Margriet Schepens, Hadj Mohamed Raouf, Veerle De Gussem, Gino Venneman, Kasper Gossye, Christine Van den Abeele, Karel De Jaeger, Seppe Vanheulenberghe, Joren Van Cauwenberge, Marijn Fabri, Lisette Van Hoecke, Paul Lievens, Joost Roggeman, Henkie Rasschaert, Tita Heldenbergh, Charles Groffils, Charlotte Hanssens, Sien Nieto, Robbe De Waele, Hannes Fabri, Fien Spitaels, Meredith Bontinck, Ayla , Andres Doise, Jentel Tant, Josephine De Proft, Lotte Van Ryckeghem, Florian Boterdaele, Zaza Bauwens, Yade Van Der Stockt, Louis De Proft, Juliette De Proft, Joelle Jooris, Jacqueline Raman, Patrick Van den Abeele, Dirk Van der Haegen, Geert Van Peteghem

After the phenomenal ‘Rundskop’, the farmer’s craft is once again upgraded in a Flemish film. The village of Schellebelle in the province of East Flanders is the setting for a peasant drama in which the makers stare at the western. A group of orphans occupy a farm and fiercely resist an imminent expropriation by the mayor. The picturesque hamlet is then thoroughly shaken by this rivalry. You can take the latter literally. This print was made collectively by… the villagers. The great driving force behind this project is actor Johan Heldenbergh, known for ‘The unhappiness of things’, who also resides in Schellebelle. His meeting with some members of the local theater company was the start of a curiosity in film history. What originally passed for café nonsense soon resulted in the general mobilization of the village. Of course it helps if the mayor is also a director at the well-known production house Woestijnvis. Heldenbergh wrote the screenplay and co-directed it with Kenneth Taylor. Except for a few cameos, the entire cast is made up of amateurs.

‘Schellebelle 1919′ seems to be the superlative of cozy neighborhoods. That is something different than the neighborhood barbecue. When Casimir and father Remi Van De Velde crawl out of the trenches at the end of the First World War and return home, a surprise awaits them. Daughter Coralie has turned the farm into an orphanage. Together with the orphans, she forms a close-knit group that gets in trouble with the child protection and gendarmerie. The evil mayor wants to expropriate the site in order to build a bridge over the Scheldt. This is of course not to the liking of the stubborn residents who also have a group of hitmen after them. The apotheosis follows in a final duel in which hero and villain face each other with guns drawn. The story contains enough elements to entertain.

Light snacks compensate for the dramatic angle and the tension is tight at times. Yes, clichés are there to be used. Unfortunately, the moments when the actors give us goosebumps are very rare. It would be quite unfair to tear this print down for that reason. With the thought that only dilettantes play along, we can overlook some things. It’s just a shame that the action scenes look quite contrived. Also note the useless guest roles of directors Jan Verheyen and Nic Balthazar.

‘Schellebelle 1919′ remains a fantastic idea that will be cherished above all by everyone who worked on it.