Bye Strange Man (2016)

Directed by: Anthony Schatteman | 19 minutes | short film, drama | Actors: Arend Pinoy, Tobias Giët, Wim Opbrouck, Delfine Bafort, Tine van den Brande, Hendrik van Doorn

Arthur (Arend Pinoy) is single and father of seven-year-old Max (Tobias Giët). Raising a child on your own is sometimes difficult, but especially given Arthur’s profession, that sometimes requires some adaptability. Arthur acts as a drag queen in a nightclub, and Max is forced to come along, because there is no babysitter for him. Sometimes he is still awake and looking at his father from the wings, other times he falls asleep in the dressing room while colleague and friend Michel (Wim Opbrouck) keeps an eye on things.

‘Hello, strange man’ takes the title from Ann Christy’s song, which Arthur convincingly performs in a playback act in the opening scene. The text can also refer to the relationship Arthur has (had) with Max’s mother, Daisy (Delfine Bafort). Suddenly she makes contact, she wants to see Max. Arthur doesn’t know what to do with this. She has abandoned them all these years, does Max need a mother at all?

Anthony Schatteman manages to open up a world of emotions in just 20 minutes in this beautiful short film. The dialogues are sparse, but what is said is enough to make your imagination run wild. The motivations of the characters remain vague, but because of the strong acting it is not difficult to fill in the feelings. The love between father and son, but later also mother and son, splashes off the screen. Wim Opbrouck’s tender playing adds an even deeper layer to the story. Add to that the wonderful cinematography, in which no scene is superfluous, and you can only conclude that ‘Hello, strange man’ is highly recommended. Extremely curious what else we can expect from this talented Flemish filmmaker.