Waarom Wettelen

Welcome to the universe of Dimitri Verhulst, where bald priests stand up for the weak - especially the "lactose-sensitive", where undertakers drunk-drive their hearse, and where a suggestive local dance is performed without hesitation at a lesbian wedding. Of course, it should come as no surprise that the acclaimed author of Flemish bestsellers The Misfortunates, Problemski Hotel and Bechamel Mucho brings along his strange and dryly black-comical situations to the big screen. But Verhulst almost casually stumbled into the director's chair for the first time: "I sat with this story in my head for a long time and finally came to the realisation that film is the only way to get it told." In his directorial debut, we meet a motley group of relatives and friends at Christine's funeral. In church, someone reminisces about that "legendary diarrhea attack in Tunisia", and at the cemetery, Peter Van Den Begin asks if his deceased wife could be moved somewhat to the right, "because that's where she always slept". Suddenly, Christine's foster son shows up, and her notary follows shortly after that, announcing that Christine wishes to be buried in Wettelen. "A typo?", asks one the daughters - not aware of the existence of any town called that way. Nobody knows why she wants to be laid to rest here, but soon the troupe sets off for Wettelen - on foot behind the hearse. The funeral procession passes rural Flanders, including bike races, empty churches and a demolished circus. Along the way, it turns out that no one really knew Christine, or each other.
Even in this art form - new to him - Verhulst allows hit literary talent to shine through. Despite numerous absurd one-liners, mischievous humour and straight-faced Aki Kaurismäki-like emotions, there is something truly recognisable in Verhulst's world. While family secrets are unearthed like corpses by a grave digger, we also learn that the way to one's heart doesn't go through the stomach, but the bowels.