a review of 由始至终

Les Premiers Les Derniers is part of an interesting new wave of Belgian Noir. I was introduced to Belgian Neo Noir by watching the gloomy La Trêve series (a.k.a. The Break), which I liked a lot. I'm less enthusiastic about Les Premiers Les Derniers than I am about La Trêve though. I liked the fatalistic, apocalyptic atmosphere in Les Premiers Les Derniers, effectively making use of the desolate rural landscape of Wallonia. Like La Trêve, Les Premiers Les Derniers also has its pleasant share of odd outcast characters, and the cinematography establishes a darkly poetic mood. My major complaint about Les Premiers Les Derniers is that the plot feels a little lost. The unfolding events carry a sense of randomness, the characters lack sufficient depth, and the pace is a bit too slow. In other words: the ingredients to create a moody Neo Noir classic are there, but the execution wasn't really satisfactory to me. Even the hints of black humor throughout the film felt a little uninspired. In conclusion, I think Les Premiers Les Derniers isn't a bad film. It just doesn't manage to outgrow a certain level of mediocrity.