Ghost Tropic
Arriving at the end of the subway line, a woman plunges into an overnight odyssey through a hushed and haunting Brussels in this 16mm gem.
Khadija is a 58-year-old cleaning woman who falls asleep on the train and awakes at the end of the line. With no means of getting home, Khadija (the wonderful Saadia Bentaïeb from BPM, MIFF 2017) must make the journey back to Brussels on foot and gets up close with the changing face of her adopted homeland. Through a series of vignettes with minimal dialogue, Khadija treks through the night and discovers the humanity to be found among society’s most hard done-by.
Premiering at Cannes’ Directors’ Fortnight, Ghost Tropic is the latest from award-winning director Bas Devos and is beautifully filmed on richly evocative celluloid. Touching and generous, this story of a mild-mannered woman making her way through the night is a rare and spirited dose of compassion.
“A stunning little gem … that’s magnificently humanist, occasionally amusing and shot in a palette of rich, saturated nighttime hues.” – Hollywood Reporter