Set in the disparate worlds of commercial casting and microbiology, Real Faces from director Leni Huyghe takes two people struggling in their respective fields to tell a story of isolation, the nature of work, and life in the big city.
Julia (Leonie Buysse) spends her days trolling the streets of Brussels, looking for “the look.” She’s a casting agent, currently on the hunt for models to hawk perfume. What it is exactly that she hopes to find keeps shifting as the director of the commercial David (Yoann Blanc) comes up with stranger and stranger questions for the candidates to answer. Who knew perfume had anything to do with ghosts, stars, or love?
Julia’s interactions with these potential actors show her ability to morph from streetwise denizen to a quasi-therapist. The non-actors involved give off all of the awkwardness and embarrassment that someone new to this world surely would. All parties involved seem to be constantly asking themselves, “Is this real?”
Eliott (Gorges Ocloo) operates in an entirely different world. We first meet him on the side of the road, collecting a sample of lichen from the curb. He’s professorial to the core, fastidious and dedicated and in possession of a room to rent, one perfect for Julia, allowing her to intersect with his meticulously planned life.
As the two struggle against their particular challenges of work and life, the city of Brussels lingers in the background. Far from the cutesy medieval vibe of a city like Bruges, this capital of the European Union is gritty, a facet accentuated by the film’s 16mm medium. Dutch, French, and English slide in and out throughout the film, reflecting a city where almost half of residents were born in another country. The film ends up being very much of its place.
By the time David increases the pressure on the models to become intimate during the audition, Julia has roped Eliott into the process. Being caught between what’s right and what’s expected leads to conflict neither roommate wants. David’s opinionated, entitled white male can’t help himself from dominating every interaction. It’s very much a toxic workplace that undercuts the glamour of what’s being sold. When we later learn of David’s self-loathing, it neither surprises or excuses his sharp edges.
With its urban intimacy and strong performances from both Buysse and Ocloo, Real Faces is a mostly quiet and slow film that allows space for reflection on matters of life and relationships.
Screens again Monday, March 10.
Real Faces
Global, World Premiere
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This article appears in March 7 • 2025.