The needle and the damage done

Rundskop (Bullhead)

Crit

Between this and In Bruges, you gotta figure whoever's in charge of molding Belgium's image has his work cut out for him--or maybe is just doing a crap job to begin with. I mean, come on: who knew there even was a "hormone mafia"?

Jacky's family raises cattle, which means they use banned hormones to accelerate maturity and add bulk, which in turn means that they have to deal with some nasty villains. Moreover, because of a horrifying injury at puberty, Jacky's hooked on the stuff too; as a result, the sensitive, tortured young man is also a ripped roid rage waiting to be unleashed. A fascinating picture of a foreign world, and a convincing and sympathetic character study.