Een ander zijn geluk

On a cold winter day, a child is run over and left for dead. Christine, a divorced mother, discovers the dead boy. When the police arrive, the child has however been washed away by the river. The police do not seem to believe her, and Christine is no longer sure what she saw. When she finds out that a child really was run over, she starts feeling guilty. She is alone with her eerie memories and surrounded by people who all have their own opinions about the drama. Then everything gets even worse when she finds out that she knows the family of the victim better than she would like to. Someone Else’s Happiness is not only about Christine, but also about the emotions of all the villagers who are affected by the drama. The film lays bare many family relationships and unmasks a lot of people. In the end, it becomes clear that no one is innocent. This daring and convincing feature début by the young Belgian Fien Troch is an intelligent, oppressive and very well-acted ensemble film featuring the cream of acting talent from the Low Countries. Troch makes impressive use of her tableau-like setting and photography. With a dose of black humour, she circles round two contradictions: the most important things in life that remain unspoken, as against the torrent of everyday banalities, and the ‘exciting’ detective story versus the calmly unfolding psychological drama. (JJ)

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