''Steve + Sky'' is a 2004 Belgian

comedy Comedy is a genre of dramatic works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. Origins Comedy originated in ancient Greec ...

drama Drama is the specific Mode (literature), mode of fiction Mimesis, represented in performance: a Play (theatre), play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on Radio drama, radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a g ...

film A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are generally, sinc ...

written and directed by Felix Van Groeningen in his

directorial debut This is a list of film directorial debuts in chronological order. The films and dates referred to are a director's first commercial cinematic release. Many filmmakers have directed works which were not commercially released, for example early work ...

. It stars Titus De Voogdt, Delfine Bafort and Johan Heldenbergh. The film is set in Kortrijksesteenweg in

Ghent Ghent ( ; ; historically known as ''Gaunt'' in English) is a City status in Belgium, city and a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of the Provinces of Belgium, province ...

, which is known for its many brothels, and follows two 22-year-olds whose lives crosses paths.

Cast

* Titus De Voogdt as Steve * Delfine Bafort as Sky * Johan Heldenbergh as Jean-Claude * Romy Bollion as Charlotte *

Wine Dierickx Wine Dierickx (born 1978) is a Flemish actress. She is a member of the 2001 founded independent Dutch-Flemish theatre group ''Wunderbaum'', that have performed shows in The Netherlands, Germany, Italy, United States, Iran, Scandinavia and Brazil. ...

as Nikita

Plot

Steve is a small-time drug runner, sentenced to time in prison when he is caught after his girlfriend accidentally rear-ends a police van. While in prison he meets Jean-Claude, a wheelchair user, and together they agree to start stealing motorcycles after they are both released. Sky is a drifter, employed in a series of part-time jobs including

prostitute Prostitution is a type of sex work that involves engaging in sexual activity in exchange for payment. The definition of "sexual activity" varies, and is often defined as an activity requiring physical contact (e.g., sexual intercourse, non-pe ...

and factory worker. There are two encounters between the two, both while at a bowling alley, before they first meet formally, at a

brothel A brothel, strumpet house, bordello, bawdy house, ranch, house of ill repute, house of ill fame, or whorehouse is a place where people engage in Human sexual activity, sexual activity with prostitutes. For legal or cultural reasons, establis ...

that Jean-Claude has opened, as Sky is a friend of Jean-Claude's daughter Charlotte. The two start a casual relationship, but Sky seems to be genuinely in love whereas Steve if less committed. Steve plans to move to

Slovenia Slovenia, officially the Republic of Slovenia, is a country in Central Europe. It borders Italy to the west, Austria to the north, Hungary to the northeast, Croatia to the south and southeast, and a short (46.6 km) coastline within the Adriati ...

with Jean-Claude to start a business, but it is ambiguous as to whether they actually make it. The film ends with Steve almost running over Sky while she is dancing across a pedestrian crossing and he is speeding in a stolen motorbike.

Release

The film was released on February 18, 2004 in Belgium by Kinepolis Film Distribution. It also received a limited release by Lifesize Entertainment on July 8, 2005 in the United States.

Critical reception

Dana Stevens of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' gave the film a negative review, writing: "With its deliberately washed-out color palette, affectless dialogue and nearly event-free story line, "Steve + Sky" is a mere slip of a movie, a wan character study of people who add up to little more than a series of studied quirks" but praised the performances of the two lead actors. Eddie Cockrell of ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' wrote: "Promising frosh helmer Felix van Groeningen exhibits a fresh eye, though his script is full of too many self-consciously Tarantino-ish verbal digressions that serve to distract from the story". The film won Best Film and Best Composer at the 2004 Joseph Plateau Awards.

References

{{Felix Van Groeningen 2004 films Belgian comedy-drama films 2004 comedy-drama films 2000s Dutch-language films Films directed by Felix van Groeningen Films set in Belgium Films shot in Belgium Films shot in Ghent Films set in Ghent 2000s Belgian films Dutch-language Belgian films Dutch-language comedy-drama films