EUFF 2022: Patrick

Belgium/Netherlands | Tim Mielants | 2019 | 97 min

Having built up a repertoire of TV credits (including Peaky Blinders and Legion), director Tim Mielants presents this debut feature, a spin on the locked-room mystery—the “room,” in this case, being a nudist camp—in this mix of folk comedy and modern malaise. The all-important set-up: the camp’s owner dies, and a prominently displayed hammer from the collection of handyman Patrick disappears. “[Mielants] populates the campsite with an eclectic array of people, some helpful to Patrick, others a hindrance. The director effectively creates an isolated micro-universe within our own … With a killer central performance from Kevin Janssens as the titular Patrick and Jemaine Clement in a beautiful turn as a new guest at the campsite, Patrick is a truly unique film. In turns funny and uncomfortable, [Mielants’s film] will leave a mark reminiscent of Force Majeure and Toni Erdmann” (Evrim Ersoy, Fantastic Fest).

“Filmed with a shrewd, teasing balance of mockery and compassion, Patrick often takes us by surprise with a depth of feeling that would have been hard to predict from its opening satirical thrust.” Philip Kemp, Sight and Sound