May Day (2017)

Directed by: Fedrik De Beul, Olivier Magis | 22 minutes | short film, comedy | Actors: Thierry Hellin, Joren Seldeslachts, Catherine Salée, Mathieu Debaty, Chokri Ben Chikha, Tom Adjibi, Simon André, Viktor Biserov, Lydya Indjova, Besnik Limani, Javier Lopez, Emmanuel Tahon, Noureddine Zerrad

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We are sitting in Thierry’s living room in Brussels, together with a variety of people. All these people, with different backgrounds and ages, came in response to an advertisement from Thierry. He’s looking for someone to replace him when he can’t perform his job as a delivery boy for a while. Ultimately, only one person can get the job, so Thierry has a proposal. The one who offers the lowest salary – Thierry puts the rest in his own pocket – wins this so-called auction.​ The battle erupts and soon it seems to be more about class, culture and diversity.​
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‘May Day’ is a tricky movie. It takes place in one room, with the same people over and over. The dialogue and timing is therefore very important. The danger is that the film will become boring and unfortunately that is lurking here. There’s a slight build-up to it and eventually you expect it to end over the top, which it doesn’t.​ Perhaps the subtlety of ‘May Day’ asks you to take another look and pay attention to every detail, such as the strong acting and the dialogue.​ It seems to be constantly about the division and diversity in a city like Brussels.​
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There is also a very old man in the company. When the situation gets out of hand towards the end, this man is the only one left in the apartment.​ He steals some money on the table, takes some food from the fridge and then leaves, telling Thierry as he passes. people should especially help each other a little.​

‘May Day’ shows to some extent that a short film can consist of a simple idea, but is not yet completely convincing. Perhaps the subtle Belgian, black humor comes across better if you look at it a second time.​