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| Elise (Veerle Baetens) and Didier (Johan Heldenbergh) on stage |
A Belgian bluegrass music band playing American country music and a passionate relationship between the band's lead guitarist and his tattoo artist (and later the band's lead vocalist) form the basis for this film by Felix van Groeningen. The central characters, Didier (the bluegrass band's banjo-playing lead - actor, Johan Heldenbergh) and Elise (the tattoo artist and vocalist - actress, Veerle Baetens) have been in a rapturous relationship for seven years further infused by the music of the band which Elise joins as lead singer. Together with their little daughter, Maybelle, they form a happy family unit and picture of domestic bliss. When Maybelle falls ill with cancer, Didier and Elise are severely tested and their relationship starts coming apart. Ultimately tragedy occurs more than once in this film with the full spectrum of emotions being displayed on the cinema screen. Felix van Groeningen's screenplay is masterful with its conveyance of passion matched by the vitality of bluegrass music making a potent mix.
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