Un matin

Line Pillet

Belgium / 2024 / Fiction / 11’19”I2502034

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SYNOPSIS

It is early morning. Romanian electrician ROBERT (51) sits alone in the cargo hold of a van on his way to a construction site. Tired, he looks ahead until suddenly the driver makes a U-turn. Without consultation, the van returns to Ijzer, the Brussels pick-up point for undocumented men looking for job opportunities on the black market. A black woman MARTA (23) rushes in first, followed by her father EMANUEL (51). Marta hides behind a dark hoodie and settles down on a toolbox. Her father comes and sits next to her, observing REZA (33) who steps in last. The foursome sit silently in the van with no notion of their final destination. The silence connects them and is broken by whispers between Marta and Emanuel. We discover that Marta fled this night from the rest home where she works illegally. Madame, an elderly woman she cared for for a long time, was taken away in a critical condition. To avoid passport control from the paramedics, Marta left without saying goodbye. She wants to call her colleague Patience to hear how Madame is doing in the meantime. Emanuel thinks this is a bad idea, and suggests calling herself to prevent anyone from hearing that Marta is a woman otherwise she will have to get off. Suddenly, a bird's call is heard in the van. The sound is coming from Robert's mobile phone. A blue bird appears on the screen: a Spix' Macaw. A conversation ensues between Reza and Robert in which Robert explains that this species of bird lives only in captivity. Afterwards, Robert peels a mandarin which he shares with Marta and Emanuel. A conversation about origins unfolds. Everyone tells where they are from: Angola, Iran and Romania. On the way, hooligans block the road. The foursome are trapped in the van, unable to move and sirens sounding in the distance. Fear can be seen on their faces. In time, they manage to leave and drive on towards their destination. Marta gets Patience on the line and learns that a cardiac arrest ended Madame's life. Marta is downcast and seeks comfort from her father. The van eventually comes to a stop. When the back door opens, we see Brussels' courthouse looming in its scaffolding. It is snowing. Quickly everyone gets out and walks with the equipment to the building for renovation.

GÉNÉRIQUE