The Belgian drama "Bullhead," a nominee for the foreign-language Oscar, is a fascinating but almost unbearably bleak character study.
The character is Jacky (Matthias Schoenaerts), a foul-tempered brute who’s the muscle in the family cattle business and who takes nearly as many illegal steroids as his family feeds to the cows. A potential hormone-distribution deal with a gangster brings Jacky back in contact with Diederik (Jeroen Perceval), a childhood friend who was a mute witness to an act of brutality against Jacky 20 years before.
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‘Bullhead’
Opens Friday, Feb. 24, at the Tower Theatre; rated R for some strong violence, language and sexual content; in Dutch and French, with subtitles; 124 minutes.
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Writer-director Michael R. Roskam, in his feature debut, splits focus between a standard cops-vs.-gangsters thriller and a searing profile of Jacky, whose tortured past and overwhelming ’roid rage destroy any chance of happiness — symbolized by a tentative reunion with Lucia (Jeanne Dandoy), with whom he once shared meaningful glances when they were kids.
Jacky’s feelings of hopelessness eventually overwhelm him and the movie, but the downward spiral is a compelling tale.
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