Any Way the Wind Blows

Tom Barman's Any Way The Wind Blows is a great movie, but (big BUT here) do not try to find a coherent story here. The movie is a mosaic of lives in Antwerp, Belgium, in June. We follow these people during whatever they do on this Friday. The most have only one thing in common: They end up at the same party that night.

The film is beautifully shot, the actors are all great, the dialogue is loose and realistic, the direction is terrific, but the one thing that makes this film really stand above most of the films made in Western Europe nowadays is... The Soundtrack (with capitals). I own it and it's on of the best compilations I have ever heard! Dance, rock, jazz, instrumental... It's all there. And it brings the film to a higher level.

Mind you, this is not a film for everybody, but for the people who are not afraid to see something else than the usual slick fare that is, alas, too common nowadays. And remember: "Although life is short, you have to perform all the miracles that you can..."

I really liked Tom Barman's AWTWB. You just have to let it come over you and enjoy it while it lasts, and don't expect anything. It's like sitting on a café-terrace with a beer, in the summer sun, and watching the people go by. It definitely won't keep you pondering afterwards, that's true, but that's not a prerequisite for a good film. It's just the experience during the movie that's great.

I felt there were a few strands that could have been worked out a little more, but being a Lynch fan I don't care that much anymore :)

And I *loved* the style, or flair of this movie. It's slick, but fresh, and the soundtrack is a beauty. Any music-lover will get his kicks out of AWTWB, I can assure you.

I'll give it 8 out 10.

(music-wise 10 out of 10)

This Belgian film, directed by Tom Barman, singer of the well-known group dEUS, will not be favoured by everyone. For the simple reason that there isn't a clear story or even a plot. This movie just shows 24 hours in "a city" (here Antwerp) and allows you to watch and truly enjoy the dialogues, the directing, the humorous (Dario!, the osteopath Bruno!, ...) and tragic (Windman, Paul Garcin, ...) characters.

There are several memorable scenes: the Windman on the beach, the dance party at the end, the KISS-fan, Windman visits the osteopath,...

Clearly some other viewers didn't understand what's so beautiful and interesting in this movie. They complain that this movie has no story, etc. But it's the atmosphere that keeps you watching and that will drag you into it.

If you didn't watch it yet, be sure to listen carefully to the music. The soundtrack is extraordinary just like Tom Barman and his group dEUS.

And "ssst, mondje dicht hé." (don't tell anyone)

This is a polarizing movie and i am not sure if i can recommend it. I understand the reasons why one may find it boring or meaningless. But most of people who were young in the 00's, will probably like it. A perfect time capsule foor this decade which was probably the last decade in which people were carefree and hopeful or at least, the world didn't seem so hostile, dangerous and instable.

This movie captures 00's Zeitgeist, and i am not saying that people were wise back then, on the contrary. It captures the naivety, people were having fun, those were less nihilistic times and more hopeful.

This is a simple movie with simple stories. A fun ride. Nothing hilarious nor dramatic, just young people (mostly) who were just living the moment. A perfectly enjoyable movie. Empty your head, lower your expectations and remember how the Western world was back then. I miss those days and that's the reason i liked that movie even though it's uneventful and basically, it's a movie about Nothing.

Still, i would have rated i higher but it fell flat during the last 15-20 minutes. Ending is really weak, the worst part of this movie.

Nice music.

What we have here is a classic case of TOO much patriotism. This is what happens when you live in a small country with very little (next to none, even) cinema history. Whenever somebody does come up with a slightly more ambitious film project – other than the usual dramas about struggling farmer families or long feature slapstick movies of local comedians – everybody feels obliged to love it and even responsible to spread favorable reviews across the countries' borders. This is especially the case when the writer/director of this particular film is already a nation's sweetheart, because he's also the founder and lead singer of a popular rock band. "Any Way The Wind Blows" is by no means a bad film, but it's definitely overrated (if that is even possible within the boundaries of a small country) and has absolutely nothing new or even remotely original to offer. This is basically the Flemish version of classic movies such as "Short Cuts" and "Magnolia" and illustrates a mosaic of characters whose daily lives initially appear to be unrelated but eventually come together in the end. The only thing that seems to unite the eight protagonists at first is the city of Antwerp, where they all live and work, but gradually the deeper relationships between them become transparent and near the climax they all gather for a party. The main problem with "Any Way The Wind Blows", at least according to yours truly, lies with the characters. They really are random, uninteresting and honestly don't experience anything that could be considered out of the ordinary. It was presumably writer/director Tom Barman's intention to depict the average & regular inhabitant of Antwerp but then, seriously, what is the point? One of the characters gets fired from his film projectionist job, another one is a failed novelist struggling with a marriage crisis, two siblings recently lost their father and the most "mysterious" one of them all is followed by the wind wherever he goes. There are a couple of more characters regularly walking through the screen, but they're even less worth mentioning. These people simply drivel on and on about very random topics (like life in the 80's, dates and each other's bowel motions) and philosophy about matters nobody cares about. Some of the dialogs do evoke mild chuckles, especially the interactions between the two twenty-something guys from Ghent, but still nothing extraordinary or even memorable. The film actually works best as a touristy video to promote the city of Antwerp and as an extended & versatile music documentary. There are several stylish & nifty sightseeing images of Antwerp and there's always beautiful music playing, whether really loud or subtly in the background. Generally speaking "Any Way The Wind Blows" is a competently made and stylish effort, but too mundane and slightly boring, and I honestly wonder most of its fans would even had bothered to watch if it weren't a Flemish production.