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Day 16 @ MSPIFF 2016: 'The Ardennes' Reviewed

A powerful feature debut from Belgian filmmaker Robin Pront, The Ardennes is a muddy, tense and stylish exploration into the relationship between two brothers living at the edge of society. The elder brother, Kenny (Kevin Janssens), gets out of jail after four years to find that his kid brother and former partner in crime, Dave (Jeroen Perceval), is all cleaned up and pretty much a walking icon of personal responsibility. What Kenny doesn't know, however, is that Dave is in a relationship with his former girlfriend and is about to make him an uncle.

The struggle (at first) is for the longsuffering and quiet Dave to tell his brother what's going on with him and his ex (Veerle Baetens), whom Kenny is still obsessed with. Of course, no perfect opportunity arises, and with each passing moment, the tension on screen builds and builds as the quick-tempered Kenny explodes on anyone who lays eyes on his former lover. Before long, a love-hate dynamic emerges between the two brothers. Dave, specifically, embodies someone torn between an instinct to help his family and to do what's best for himself and his to-be wife and kid. Perceval, who is also a co-writer on the film, wears this conflict on his face like a mask.

Eventually, Kenny's violent tendencies have the brothers traveling to the Ardennes for a gut-punch bloodbath third act, complete with terrifying ostriches. Not kidding. Indeed, the birds exemplify Pront's want to pepper his work with exclamation-point-like images, which, in this case, induce panic. The filmmaker's command over pacing and his ability to conjure blasts of unnerving visuals make The Ardennes an absorbing thriller, perfect for a late-night screening. Pront, as well, is a director to watch out for.

The Ardennes is playing on Friday at 9:45 p.m. at the St. Anthony Main Theatre.

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Other Highlights From April 22, 2016

Voices Of Light: The Passion Of Joan Of Arc(Carl Theodor Dreyer, France) My fellow movie blogger Eric Henderson says this is the not-to-be-missed movie event of the entire festival. Dreyer's 1928 black-and-white classic -- hailed by many as one of the best films ever made -- will be shown with the Oratorio Society of Minnesota performing Richard Einhorn's orchestral work "Voices of Light." It's almost sure to be an unforgettable night in Minneapolis. (8:00; Basilica of St. Mary)

Valley of Love (Guillaume Nicloux, France/Belgium) French actors Gerard Depardieu and Isabelle Huppert reunite on screen (after 35 years apart!) as a couple visiting Death Valley per the instructions in their son's suicide note. The result is both a meditation on grief and a super-meta exploration of celebrity. (7:30; St. Anthony Main Theatre)

Therapy For A Vampire (David Rühm, Austria/Switzerland) Like 2014's What We Do In The Shadows, this flick injects some humor into the bloodsucker genre. The idea here is that Sigmund Freud's newest patients are a vampire couple that's lost their thirst for life. (10:00; St. Anthony Main)

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For the festival schedule, and a complete listing of all the movies being shown, click here. Ticket information is available here.

Throughout the entirety of the 2016 Minneapolis-St. Paul International Film Festival, WCCO.com will be spotlighting one notable movie each day, along with other notable screenings. To see WCCO.com's complete coverage on the MSPIFF, click here.

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