YouHeart I gave it a 7.5 out of 10

RipDelight This is a tender, generous movie that likes its characters and presents them as real people, full of flaws and strengths.

ChanFamous I wanted to like it more than I actually did... But much of the humor totally escaped me and I walked out only mildly impressed.

Mehdi Hoffman There's a more than satisfactory amount of boom-boom in the movie's trim running time.

imogenwooder I saw this film believing it to be comedy and less than halfway through felt deeply antagonistic to the director's idea of humour. A few minutes later, I realised my mistake and wept through the remainder of the film and again when I saw it next, and again! It is a story of a deeply flawed man with profoundly complex issues, some of which you can understand from his family history. As to whether he was switched at birth during a fire, or whether that was his way as a child of rationalising the inequalities between himself and his neighbour's child, that is open to question. His relationship with Evelyn and the way he identifies her with his dead sister, Alys, is a kind of idealisation. I am not entirely sure how much of the film is real and how much is wishful thinking on the part of Thomas. But whenever the theme music plays, the mood becomes both happy and sad.

jotix100 Thomas, an old man confined to a nursing home, cannot help but to reflect on his life since he has nothing else to do. Thomas, of "Toto" as he was known by his family and friends, was a child that always thought he was changed at birth as the hospital where he was born is destroyed by a raging fire. The baby next to him, ironically, becomes his neighbor, and tormentor for most of his life.Home life for Thomas was full of hardships. The loss of his aviator father in a plane crash marked him for life. The fact that the accident was provoked, in part, by Thomas' neighbor, Mr. Kant, the rich man next door, will perpetuate his resentment toward Alfred Kant. Thomas' mother had to make ends meet, having been left with three children. To make things more difficult, Celestin, the youngest brother suffered from autism.Alice and Thomas became closer as the result of not having a father around. Thomas was prone to dream in cinematic terms, thinking he was going to avenge his father's death. In his reverie, he saw a gangster film where the Kants were given their due. Alice held an attraction over Thomas that was reflected later on when he was an adult in Evelyne, the wife of Alfred Kant, who happened to live in the home that stood next to his house. The older Thomas decides to escape the institution where he has been confined to take care of Alfred, now an older man, living by himself.Jaco Van Dormael directed the film. He also collaborated on the screenplay. The director's choice of a non linear narrative might seem confusing for some viewers, but the end result is quite satisfying because one can see what his intentions were. Resentment, in many ways, played heavily on the Thomas' character. He went through life thinking his stolen life was lived by Alfred.Michel Bouquet, the distinguished French actor, does a fine job as the older Thomas. The other stages of his life were played by two wonderful players, the young Jo De Backer and the adult Thomas Godet. Mireille Perrier is seen as the younger Evelyne. There is an excellent performance by Sandrine Blanke as Alice.

cinergy Jaco Van Dormael conjures up (he was a magician and a clown) one of those films that because of their formal beauty and intelligent content deserve to be seen more often but are not. The film is full of internal echoes, images that resurface under different contexts, and make you rethink them again and again (dare I say like in Citizen Kane?). As if that were not enough, there are many other resonances to genres and specific films that will make film buffs laugh with excitement: quotations to gangster films, to Hitchcock, to Bunuel, etc. are all there to be discovered and enjoyed. Alan Moore would be smiling at the construction of this beautiful crystal web that is the narrative of this film. See it and rejoice...

ja.mh Without "ifs" and "buts": this is the best movie of the last decade. Made by most gifted filmmaker of the last decade. It s unique in its wealth of ideas and complex structure. Thank you, Jaco - also for your second feature "Eight Day".