Outstanding on many levels, i was left stunned by its impressive impact, especially on what this film says about human relationships. The protagonist says to his childhood (true)friend near the end "all i've known is animals....i feel like a bull....i haven't lived a natural life.....to protect a wife, children..." His friend embraced him in empathy, but this was questioned "are you a faggot". Any sign of apparent "weakness" ie. tender emotions, are suspect in this world. He lost his testicles as a child and the treatment he received from his culture was utterly insufficient to compensate for this in many key area's. The response to the traumatic incident completely omitted any restorative justice, leaving him at the mercy of vengeful passions, though his father blindly raged for "justice". At least the child did get a sense off a kind of love there. The family were just left to manage as best they could, in the spirit of the worse kind of "independence", which is another aspect of the wider culture, it's just a question of degree. How can someone inject themselves into a permanent stupor for years and this not be inquired into. Well in a world where introspection and emotional intimacy are marginalized, to be remote from the alpha male world of grunt work, brothels, rat race commerce and criminal tendencies, a wholesome human expression is prevented. The talk of only knowing animals said a lot to me about how our society as a whole functions too much on an animal level and has yet to give birth to its humanness. The child longingly looking at his adult version at the end was just heartbreaking and for me at least, reminded me to cherish our young, to give the utmost support to all their development as a rounded human being.

This film is the story of Jacky Vanmarsenille (Matthias Schoenaerts), a Belgian cattle farmer who gets involved in illegal meat trading but after a federal agent gets killed a complex situation arises that eventually brings trouble to Jacky and his family. We see Jacky as a brutish and explosive character who continuously injects hormones and takes steroids. At the same time characters from Jacky's past resurface and introduce a parallel and intertwined back story that explains why Jacky is like he is.It is hard to explain the plot and why this film is so powerful without introducing spoilers and for this reason I have marked this review as containing spoilers but will try to keep to a minimum.Jacky is portrayed as a bullish brute who fits well into the dark underworld of mafia dealings etc. But as time passes we start to see the humanity within Jacky and feel sympathy for his character. This emerges as we see flashbacks to his childhood and an extremely horrifying event that shapes the man he becomes. Jacky is unable to claim the revenge that he so rightly deserves and unable to realise the love that is in his heart. Many situations demonstrate Jacky's suffering as an individual that are all as a result of this one event. We see Jacky as a sweet boy and we see Jacky as the tortured and brutish man and the links between the two slowly unfold.Schoenaerts portrayal of the complex character that is Jacky is magnificent and Oscar worthy. He does this with few words but with a power of presence and with expressions that reveal the character's underlying pain - he is a truly great actor. I have seen him do similar before in Rust and Bone but this role defines him as a great actor.The film starts slowly and the meat mafia characters are somewhat complicated to follow as they are introduced but stick with it as the film develops into a superb character study. This is not a Hollywood style film with loads of action but a very European film that values the importance of emotion and plot much more highly.There are scenes of violence and some that are quite disturbing, especially the event in Jacky's childhood is very hard to watch. What I am saying is that this is not a feel-good film but one that portrays gritty and sometimes brutal reality in a way that is rewarding for those that like to watch films that make them feel and think.This is one of the best films I have seen for a long time. It will not be to everybody's liking (those that can't do subtitles should avoid it - but you miss so much great cinema).I believe this is the first film from this director so I will be looking out for more. It certainly establishes Schoenaerts as a great actor and I hope to see much more of him and hope he is not snapped up by Hollywood to play dumb gangster roles, which he undoubtedly could do well and might pay him much more.So, in summary, this is a powerful and gritty drama from a new director with an astounding lead role which I cannot recommend highly enough - watch it! The only reason I do not give it 10 is some slowness and confusion in the early parts which prevent it from being perfect.

It can be difficult to write this film a review without spoiling it for you, audiences, as major events in the movie and its effects linger throughout the film. At first, the flick may come across as a crime-centered thriller with a lead too-fitting for the role of a cattle farmer. As the story unfolds, you realize the crime plot is no more than a tool to explore the character of hothead, Jacky Vanmarsenille (Matthias Schoenaerts). Who is he and how did he get involved in this illegal hormone boosting cattle trade? It all begins to unravel when Jacky meets Diederik who was part of the meeting with the hormone mafia. The two has never seen each other for 20 years. The initially tough "Bullhead" as many would call Jacky, begins to break his exterior in front of the lens.We are then introduced to his life-altering past with his childhood friend, Diederik (Jeroen Perceval). As kids, they were always together. It was also the time when their fathers introduced them to the business of hormone-boosting cattle. While their fathers are dealing with the higher ups in the mafia, the two meet the psychologically-challenged Bruno and his sister, Lucia (Jeanne Dandoy). Jacky develops a crush toward Lucia and convinces Diederik to help him pursue the girl. It was then the pair accidentally snooped around Bruno and his gang until they were chased into the open field. What happened to Jacky is something every male would never want to happen for themselves.Suddenly, the viewer understands the lead's excessive use of steroids. It could be to make up for what he has lost. The damaging event has left Jacky an insecure, 30 something buff man who is lonely and struggling to accept what has happened to him. The return of Diederik and Lucia in his life is only the beginning of his agony as he tries to pursue the girl he liked as a kid. Interlaced with the hormone mafia deal is the death of a police officer which connects the Vanmarsenille's because of Jacky's brother buying tires from two French Walloons.Bullhead is more than a crime drama but an in-depth character exploration on a subject not many movies have touched. It also weaves perfectly the question of sexuality and the importance of masculinity in a man. The contrast between Jacky and Diederik who happens to be gay as an adult, holds a strong message at its best. There is no doubt that the film received an Oscar nomination under the foreign language category because of Matthias Schoenaerts' captivating performance and director Michaël R. Roskam's choice of shots and magnetic storytelling. Schoenaerts is definitely an actor you will see more of in the coming years.Dubbed as a dark and powerful cinematic experience, Bullhead will pierce right into your heart. You will find yourself rooting for the character despite his obvious flaws and dangerous persona.The Belgian film, Bullhead (Rundskop) takes you on an unexpected emotional journey of a misunderstood beast so strong on the surface yet only an innocent child searching for a chance to undo some things that happened in his life.writelikesundance.wordpress.com

I found this film remarkable for its ability to stir feelings of sympathy for a kind of character who seems utterly brutish and unredeemable. Jacky is a brute, the kind of man who all too often resorts to abominable acts of violence when he's aroused. And yet, thanks to the portrait of Jacky drawn by the director and by the actor, we cannot help but feel great sorrow for him. Yes, Jacky does terrible, terrible things over the course of the film, but by the end I was sobbing for him. Maybe it's simply "tout comprendre, c'est tout pardonner", but whatever that emotion was I felt at the film's end it was something that revealed to me (and one would hope to all who see this film) a terrifying and redemptive bond of common humanity.