Give this film a chance and you’ll learn something new about men (the species), laugh yourself silly, and find your American sensibilities being assaulted in the most thought-provoking ways. It’s hard to believe this deadpan movie by two Dutch filmmakers is a documentary—it doesn’t seem like any filmmaker could get such intimate access into the life of a bitter yet impossibly likable man living in the forests of isolated southern Belgium, much less two such men who have pitch-perfect chemistry as they stumble through life drowning their sorrows in booze. An infectiously lighthearted portrait of alcoholic friends who want to commit suicide, “Don’t Leave Me” plays like an upbeat “Waiting for Godot” set to a bouncy rockabilly soundtrack; it’s the ultimate absurdist buddy comedy with brains. Do not miss this film.
Screens with:
WindRobert Löbel | Germany | 4 min. | 2013