31/01/2014 - A meticulous portrait of the Dutch gangster world, Eché Janga's first feature has world-premiered at the 43th International Film Festival Rotterdam

Audiences will soon find themselves surprised by Dutch director Eché Janga’s first feature film. Produced by Topkapi Films, Helium [+see also:
trailer
film profile] first and foremost showcases the brilliant Hans Dagelet who carries the film with all the necessary maturity. Playing a mafioso with several years of experience under his belt, the actor follows the straight line he’s drawn out for himself without flinching. And this is what’s at the heart of the film: a constancy which keep us on the edge of our seats, even when the outcome of the story soon becomes obvious to viewers.

Helium follows in the footsteps of Frans Weeling, painting the meticulous portrait of a fading man. The Dutch gangster world which Frans has manoeuvred in for so long and for which he’s even lay some foundations, is undergoing deep change. The main players aren’t the same anymore and the newcomers are imposing their laws. These include the “Moroccans”, for example, who are the source of so much concern. Frans doesn’t know them, but he does know he’s no longer able to take them on. This acknowledgement of weakness and exclusion is key to the story.

The film unfolds calmly, without fanfare or fireworks: Eché Janga strives to convey the incredible burden which slowly crushes his character. In this sense, Helium relies more on mannerism - the neat and tidy accumulation of little things which turn daily life into a nightmare - than on its somewhat commonplace story. Forced into isolation for several days in order to hide from their enemies, Frans and his cronies rent a house by the sea. During this time spent waiting, nothing is trivial, and the slightest thing must be taken seriously. The characters are in the hot seat and might fall at any moment.

Janga imposes an editing style which is anything but indistinct, and which testifies to the wonderful preparatory work he has carried out. Janga’s actors are fully invested, impeccable in their thuggish roles. It’s true that gangster film stereotypes and clichés run rife, to the point of almost overwhelming the movie’s content, but Janga fully embraces these, and his movie effortlessly reaches its climax, notably via the emphasis the director places on Dutch landscapes, which are unsettling and almost entirely unexplored in film to date. It’s by way of these lighthouses and coasts that Hans’ character seems to see and understand his slow descent.

Eché Janga had only directed short films until the present work, including acclaimed movie Mo (screened in the Brussels International Independent Film Festival 2011). Presented in a world premiere in the 43rd Rotterdam International Film Festival, Helium was one of many titles to feature in the Bright Future line-up, an encouraging result for the filmmaker whom we expect will enjoy a well-deserved debut in the world of feature films.