As "When It Melts" (2023 release from Belgium; 111 min/; original title "Het Smelt") opens, we are introduced to Eva, a woman in her late 20s or early 30s. She arrives in the small town she grew up in. To participate in a celebration of the memory of Jan, the bigger brother of her friend Tim. In flashbacks we then go back to when Eva was 13... At this point we are less than 10 minutes into the film.
Couple of comments: this is the directing debut of Veerle Baetens, the well-known Belgian/Flemish actress. Here she brings the bestseller of the same name to the big screen. Let me state up front that the story is plot-heavy so the less said about that, the better. I myself knew literally nothing about the story going into seei.ng this. Beware: there are several scenes that likely will make you ill at ease, and for god reason. But it is part of the movie's essence. In the end I found this movie very moving but not in the way that I had expected it.
I hail originally from the Flemish part of Belgium (the part that speaks Dutch a/k/a Flemish). During a recent visit back to Antwerp, Belgium, my original hometown before I moved to the US), it was clear that this movie was making a considerable impact on the public at large. I went to see it at Antwerp's local art-house theater called The Cartoon's. The Saturday matinee screening where I saw this at was attended very well (I counted roughly 40 people in the audience). I'm quite sure it's just a matter of time before this starts streaming in the US on Netflix or Amazon Prime, which both are quick to jump on quality foreign movies. If you are in the mood for a coming of age film that is not your run of the mill coming of age, I'd readily suggest you check this out when it starts streaming in the US, and draw your own conclusion.
