When it melts | Veerle Baetens | BEL | 111'

Many years after a sweltering summer that spun out of control, Eva returns to the village she grew up in with an ice block in the back of her car. In the dead of winter, she confronts her past and faces up to her tormentors. Adapted from Lize Spit’s novel of the same title, this is a powerful and controversial portrayal of childhood trauma, fueled by a towering performance by its young and magnetic protagonist, Rosa Marchant, who won the World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Award at this year’s Sundance Film Festival. This compelling first feature by Veerle Baetens, who first caught the film world’s attention as an actress in her unforgettable starring role in Felix van Groeningen’s “Broken circle breakdown”, announces the arrival of a courageous and ambitious new voice in the international scene. “When it melts” is bound to cause some chills and raise a few eyebrows, but ultimately it is one of 2023’s most important and obligatory film experiences.