Bullhead

Director: Michael R. Roskam

28 July 2023

See

Him: Matthias Schoenaerts’ breakout role as Jacky Valnmarsenille, a hulking Belgian gangster who experienced childhood trauma, triggered as an adult by a chance encounter with childhood friend Diederik (Jeroen Perceval) who is a criminal informant for the police’s investigation into the Flemish ‘testosterone’ mafia. 

Her: Rundskop/Bullhead, 2011 directed by Belgian director Michael R, Roskam. The film tells a story of a Flemish cattle farmer Jacky, whose course of life was tragically decided when Bruno, the mentally sick son of a local mafia boss, attacked him. As a result of this attack, unable to produce testosterone Jacky is forced to inject himself with steroids and hormones for the rest of his life. 

Think

Him: Michael R. Roskam was a first time director with this film, I remember the buzz about it as an Oscar nominee and the trailer showing Matthias Schoenaerts pumped up on steroids shadow boxing. I’d seen the actors and the directors other collaboration, The Drop, with Tom Hardy, Naoimi Rapace and James Gandolfini’s final performance. It was a stronger film narratively but featured less creative aesthetic shots of nature common in film festival circuit features. 

Her: Jacky as a little boy meant no harm and the attack was not caused by his own actions. His childhood friend Diedrich did not stand up for him after the incident, nor 30 years later when their paths crossed again. For a short moment it seemed that Lucia, Bruno’s sister and Jackys first love, who inadvertently was involved in the childhood incident, could help Jacky to reconcile with the past but instead, scared of his intimidating appearance, she once again (inadvertently or not) created a confrontational situation for him. And this time - a fatal one. It seemed like there was no one in Jacky’s life who could save him.

Feel

Him: This film Rundskop in Flemish is carried by the lead performance. I liked the exposition of the childhood scenes, but Moonlight did it better. Bullhead seems to be an inspiration, particularly with the slub scene and neon lights on Schoenaerts’ face and the pain in his eyes. The longing for his childhood sweetheart and how it’s mixed up with hurt and humiliation is understandable but underdeveloped, as were the demented childhood antagonist, and criminal investigation. Jacky was more of a gentle giant and the violent outbursts seemed tacked on and culminating in a simplistic conclusion rather than interwoven as effectively as in Jacques Audiard’s films about criminals and their inner turmoil. 

Her: This is a no feel-good movie. When I was trying to torrent it, I read a few comments from people who watched it but struggled to understand the moral. And fair enough - it’s hard to see the moral in the situation where justice does not necessarily prevail. It makes you wonder what the director was really trying to tell. it’s a Hollywood mindset but the real life often doesn’t work that way. I think it’s important for such stories to be told even though they don’t Inlighten or inspire. Matthias Schonaerts performance is my favourite part. He put an equally huge effort into both physical transformation and character embodiment of Jacky. And even though Jacky’s human nature fails in the end when the inner beast comes out, you (or at least I) felt compassionate to him and wished the odds were more in his favour.