Heysel 85
When violence breaks out before the start of the European Cup final between Liverpool and Juventus at the Heysel Stadium in Brussels, Marie (Violet Braeckman), the daughter and spokesperson of the Mayor of Brussels (Josse De Pauw), and Luca (Matteo Simoni), a journalist of Italian descent, are swept up in the ever-escalating chaos. Each, in their own way, finds themselves caught between professional duty, family loyalty and moral responsibility.
Director Teodora Ana Mihai (La Civil) reconstructs the Heysel tragedy in a surprisingly fresh and compelling way. Filmed on 16mm, the camera stays close to Marie and Luca whilst the situation around them spirals further and further out of control. Authentic archive footage blends almost seamlessly with the staged scenes, whilst the impressive sound design makes the chaos at times more audible than visible. In this way, Mihai avoids the clichés of the classic historical reconstruction and allows us to experience the events from the inside.
Violet Braeckman, Matteo Simoni and Josse De Pauw carry this human and political drama with exceptionally powerful performances. Heysel 85 had its world premiere as a Special Gala screening at the Berlin Film Festival. Variety describes the film as “compelling from start to finish” and praises the way in which the visuals, sound and acting make the chaos controlled yet poignantly palpable.
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