Small Gods

  • 91'
  • Belgium
  • 2007
Elena ends up in hospital after she has a car crash, in which her young son dies. And then she is suspected of murder, but she says she is innocent. She tells her lawyer an unlikely story about being kidnapped by an unknown David, who is alleged to have taken her along in his camper. On the way, they pick up the dumb Sarah, who travels with them through deserted and barren landscapes. Each of them has their own demons to fight, but they all lead to one and the same place.
Just as in his short film Le guide, Dimitri Karakatsanis allows Small Gods to start in a realistic setting, only to bring the filming increasingly onto a metaphysical level afterwards. An appeal is made not only to the lawyer but also to the viewer to put together the most truthful possible story, whether it seems possible or not. The film is eventually about faith and the themes of family, guilt, revenge and murder transcend the vulgar reality with references to a higher and more difficult plan hiding behind each fact..
The brother of the director was responsible for the atmospheric camerawork and Elena is played by his wife. When he wrote Small Gods, he always had her in mind, but it was only after a long and unsuccessful audition period that he finally dared ask her to play the lead.


Director
Dimitri Karakatsanis
Country of production
Belgium
Year
2007
Festival Edition
IFFR 2008
Length
91'
Medium
35mm
Language
Dutch
Producers
Dimitri Karakatsanis, Nicolas Karakatsanis, Peter De Maegd
Production Companies
Potemkino, CCCP/Epidemic
Sales
Insomnia World Sales
Screenplay
Dimitri Karakatsanis
Cinematography
Nicolas Karakatsanis
Editor
Dieter Diependaele
Production Design
Susan Tanghe, Pepijn Van Looy
Sound Design
Raf Enckels, Jan Van Hende
Music
Aldo Struyf, Mark Lenagan
Cast
Dirk van Dijck, Steffi Peeters
Local Distributor
A-Film Distribution
Director
Dimitri Karakatsanis
Country of production
Belgium
Year
2007
Festival Edition
IFFR 2008
Length
91'
Medium
35mm
Language
Dutch
Producers
Dimitri Karakatsanis, Nicolas Karakatsanis, Peter De Maegd
Production Companies
Potemkino, CCCP/Epidemic
Sales
Insomnia World Sales
Screenplay
Dimitri Karakatsanis
Cinematography
Nicolas Karakatsanis
Editor
Dieter Diependaele
Production Design
Susan Tanghe, Pepijn Van Looy
Sound Design
Raf Enckels, Jan Van Hende
Music
Aldo Struyf, Mark Lenagan
Cast
Dirk van Dijck, Steffi Peeters
Local Distributor
A-Film Distribution