We

Diop’s small but potent act of subversion, in choosing disparate lives and moments that could seem linked by a railway line and nothing more, is not just to enlarge the idea of who is meant by the collective French “We.” It is also to reclaim the selection process for inclusion within that tiny, divided pronoun.

A Sun-Drenched but Morally Repugnant Tale of Hedonistic Youth Whose Provocative Crimes Offer Hollow Meaning.221113 (1.0)Although it was presented as based on true events, the ending felt so bizarre that no matter how much I searched, the search term "Bellangendonk scandal" yielded only references to this very film. It appears to be adapted from a novel; while it is undeniably a shocking chronicle of teenage delinquency sparked by various impulses, what the film actually seeks to convey remains completely elusive. The sun-bleached cinematic texture reminiscent of French and Norwegian cinema is quite remarkable, yet the underlying message leaves much to be desired. Is it trying to suggest that affluent teenagers can excuse their adolescent rebellion and indulge in serious crime simply because they feel suffocated by hypocritical adults? The final shot of the open, clear highway leaves a foul aftertaste, heavily implying an entirely spotless, unburdened future for the privileged characters Simon and Thomas. Simon, a wealthy son, stands as one of the key witnesses giving testimony following the tragic death of Femke Claassen. Thus begins the story of eight friends: Simon, his best friend Jens, the **** Ruth, tough Liesl, knowledgeable and beautiful Femke, macho Karl, and Anna. These four boys and four girls spend their days indulging in reckless sexual promiscuity and idle hedonism. Jens openly scoffs at ordinary society, declaring that people who work nine-to-five jobs are complete fools, making one wonder what makes these freeloading youths think they are so superior. Acting like reckless young hippies, they spend their idle days squatting in an abandoned house in an isolated area. Simon harbored deep feelings for Femke, yet to her, he was merely one of several casual partners in their circle; similarly, despite his feelings for her, Simon slept with all the girls in the group. It is chilling to think that teenagers living like this might genuinely exist—Anna even partakes in twisted guessing games centered on identifying objects or whose body parts are inserted inside her. Simon's wealthy parents are elites eager to curry favor with Mayor Bellangendonk. His father, a younger man in a second marriage, constantly tries to win Simon's affection, a vulnerability Simon exploits by inviting the circle into his home to shoot amateur adult videos for commercial sale, creating genuinely shocking scenes whether body doubles were used or not. Femke, exhibiting hypersexual tendencies and fully aware of Simon's feelings, dives into illicit prostitution in subway stations and public spaces while Thomas acts as her pimp. As their cash piles up and fear evaporates, these aimless youths evolve from simple kids riding bicycles into luxury-clad delinquents speeding on motorbikes and committing escalating criminal acts. Ruth also comes from a well-off family, yet she admits she relished the sense of superiority felt while committing crimes; she derived a twisted thrill from the exertion of dominance, such as four girls exposing themselves simultaneously from an overpass to trigger multi-car collisions, treating sexuality as the ultimate tool to manipulate adults in a boring and predictable world. The alluring Simon casts a spell over everyone, with Ruth harboring feelings for him as well. As the girls plunge deeper into sex work, even respected adult men in the town, including the mayor himself, seek out Femke. Following Femke's death, Liesl and Anna leave the group, leaving only Ruth alongside the boys; desperate to maintain the circle, they begin scouting new girls from the streets, recruiting Roosje and Sarah. Thomas, who had repeatedly acted as their pimp and informal leader, eventually rents a house with his older brother's assistance to run a full-scale brothel, leading to horrific moments where members punch a pregnant girl's stomach in a brutal attempt to induce an abortion. The actress portraying Ruth noticeably resembles the lead of "Blue Is the Warmest Color." The reflection lingers: "I used to think the worst thing was being alone, but the worst thing is actually being around people who make you feel completely alone." That overpass exposure incident that Ruth carried out with such arrogant glee turned out to be a catastrophe involving a twelve-vehicle pileup that severely injured a young woman and two children. Liesl is the very first among the group to testify about all these misdeeds. While Simon and Ruth carried profound guilt, Liesl seems comparatively unburdened by remorse, which is likely why the legal proceedings start by questioning those with lighter moral culpability. Mayor Bellangendonk, who had been a regular client of Femke's prostitution ring, seamlessly transitions into becoming Liesl's client after Femke dies, showing that even in a tight-knit small town where everyone knows each other, this predatory cycle never halts.