Here

a film by Bas Devos
2023, 85 minutes

Synopsis

Here follows Stefan, a Romanian construction worker living in Brussels who is about to return home to visit his mother, and maybe stay...longer. Using the leftovers from his fridge, he cooks up a big pot of soup and begins handing it out as farewell gifts to friends and family. But while waiting for his car to be fixed, he meets Shuxiu, a Belgian-Chinese woman preparing a doctorate on mosses. Her attention to the near-invisible stops him in his tracks. On the heels of Ghost Tropic (2019), Bas Devos offers another Brussels city symphony. With a quiet grace that’s becoming a trademark, he and his team capture both the longing of contemporary urban life and the potential for enchantment that still exists in spaces shared by strangers from different worlds.

Reviews

"Every moment signifies in this lovely, unexpected movie."
- Manohla Dargis, The New York Times

"A movie of quiet magnificence, one that feels spun of gossamer summer light and rooted in unshakeable depths...[A] profound yet miraculously weightless feature."
-Sheri Linden, The Hollywood Reporter

"Establishing a deeper connection with the world—whether through exchanging stories with the recipients of his soup, exploring the lush forest on the outskirts of Brussels, pursuing a budding romance with a fellow immigrant, or a combination of the three—appears to be a potential cure for what ails Stefan. Here presents this theme with a modesty that seems to radiate from Stefan himself, offering his world to us through rich, dreamy imagery and with an endearing simplicity."
-Pat Brown, Slant Magazine

"Remarkable...A quietly overwhelming study of human connection and our relationship with the natural world."
-Tim Grierson, Screen Daily

"It might be the most benevolent film of this year... a film flush with everyday pleasures... an almost-perfect little film."
-Rory O'Connor, The Film Stage

Press Materials

High-Res Stills and Poster
Press Kit

Where to watch

Playdates

Feb 9-15: Film at Lincoln Center - New York, NY
Feb 9-15: VIFF Centre - Vancouver, BC
Feb 9-15: Carbon Arc Cinema - Halifax, NS
Feb 13-15: Guild Cinema - Albequerque, NM
Feb 13: Campus Theater - Lewisburg, PA
Feb 15: Cinema Moderne - Montreal, QC
Feb 18-28: American Cinematheque - Los Angeles, CA
Feb 23-29: Lumiere Cinema - Los Angeles, CA
Feb 23: Lark Theater - Larkspur, CA

Mar 1: Gene Siskel Film Center - Chicago, IL
Mar 1-7: Digital Gym Cinema - San Diego, CA
Mar 8-15: Darkside Cinema - Corvalis, OR
Mar 9-10: Cleveland Cinematheque - Cleveland, OH
Mar 13-17: Northwest Film Forum - Seattle, WA
Mar 15-16: UWM Union Cinema - Milwaukee, WI
Mar 21-22: Oklahoma City Museum of Art - Oklahoma City, OK
Mar 22-26: Belcourt Theater - Nashville, TN
Mar 22: Portland Museum of Art - Portland, ME
Mar 30: National Museum of Asian Art - Washington, DC

Apr 12: Maine Film Center - Waterville, ME
Apr 19: Duke University Cinema - Durham, NC

Festivals & Awards

WINNER – Berlinale Encounters

Trailer

Related Films

Ghost Tropic

Bas Devos