A shifting relationship between a lapsed Muslim filmmaker and a
charismatic young Belgian man, who has converted to Islam in the
post-industrial city of Aalst. This Catholic city – where the industry
is in rapid decline and where migration and Islam is a highly charged
subject – is shown in muted, washy images. Scenes are subtle
repetitions, as if director Omar A. Chowdhury wishes to stress that film
is a construct, capturing different layers within a story. What is fact
and what is fiction in this story?
In his films, Chowdhury goes in search of histories and contexts that he
believes have been lost. In this search, he often uses narrative
structures that blur the boundaries between fact and fiction. In this
way, he reveals our unstable, uncertain relationship to the past – who we
can trust and where art is supposed to stop.