SYNOPSIS
Winter – In which the trees begin to fall.
In a village deep in the Ardennes forest lives Thomas, a reclusive teenager, and Alice, a dairy farmer’s daughter. He lures her to a quarry where they taste their first moments of desire. An itinerant beekeeper, Pol, and his handicapped son, Octave, have parked their caravan next to the village café. They join the villagers for the annual bonfire celebrating the end of winter. Spirits are high but the festivities come to a halt when the bonfire fails to burn. A distant tree crashes to the ground. Unease sweeps through the crowd.
Spring – In which the cycle of nature is capsized.
Pol’s bees vanish. Not a single seed sprouts in the fields. The cows refuse to give milk. The crisis proves to be widespread. The livestock are rounded up. And the first victim falls.
Summer – In which despair takes its toll.
Insects abound and resources are scarce. A passing flower vendor brings ephemeral joy. Relationships splinter. Souls are adrift. Only Octave emanates hope. That is, until he is silenced.
Fall – In which the angels take flight.
The earth remains dormant. Alice trades her body for food. Thomas steals from his parents. Octave sits mired in a catatonic state. Pol resolves to flee. But he cannot. The villagers won’t let him.
Awards
Arca Cinema Giovani Award for Best Film | Venice IFF, Italy, 2012
Green Drop Award - Special Prize of the Jury, the Youth Jury Prize, FIPRESCI Award | Valladolid IFF, Spain, 2012
Prix Cineuropa, Best Actress, Best Cinematography | Les Arcs European FF, France, 2012
CAST & CREW
Peter Brosens
Director
Producer(s)
Peter Brosens,Jessica Woodworth
Script
Peter Brosens,Jessica Woodworth
Director of Photography
Hans Bruch Jr
Production designer
Igor Gabriel
Music by
Michel Schöpping
Sound
Michel Schöpping
Edit
Jessica Woodworth
Cast
Peter van den Begin, Bruno Georis, Natalie Laroche
Production company(ies)
Bo Films, Entre Chien et Loup, Molenwiek Film
Peter Brosens
Born in 1962, Leuven, Belgium. Peter Brosens has been an independent filmmaker and producersince 1991. He studied urban geography and cultural anthropology. Brosens is a 1995 EAVEgraduate. Prior to The Fifth Season he produced and directed creative documentaries such as hisMongolia Trilogy: City of the Steppes (1993), State of Dogs (1998) and Poets of Mongolia(1999).
Filmography
El Camino del tempo (1992, doc.), City of Steppes (1993, doc.), State of Dogs (1998, doc.), Poets of Mongolia (1999, doc.), Khadak (2006), Altiplano (2009), The Fifth Season (2012).
Jessica Woodworth
Director
Jessica Woodworth
Born 1971, Washington DC, USA. Jessica grew up between Europe and the US. Shestudied literature at Princeton then worked in China for European networks. She received her MAin documentary from Stanford. Jessica was the president of the jury at the 2011 Ghent IFF. Peter Brosens and Jessica Woodworth won the Lion of the Future at the 2006 Venice IFF with Khadak. Their second fiction, Altiplano, was launched in Cannes in 2009 and won the Golden Kinnaree at the Bangkok IFF.
Filmography
Virgin Diaries(2001), Urga Song (1999, doc.), Khadak (2006), Altiplano (2009), The Fifth Season (2012).
