The word on Bullhead is must see. A nominee for Best Foreign Film this entry from Belgium deals with low level criminals, growth hormones for bovines and humans, and draws the line that separates people in Belgium that speak Dutch and French.

At first you’re thrown headfirst in a conflict involving thuggish activity while a parallel story charts a couple of kids who fall prey to a bully. It seems these incidents are happening simultaneously and that the kids are children of the main characters. After about an hour it becomes crystal clear that the traumatized boy is indeed the main character while also making sense of his reliance on hormone injections. Director Michael Roskam has a firm sense on the characters and how much of their motives to reveal.

But the clincher to Bullhead has to be Matthias Schoenaerts as the titular character. His eyes have to be seen from a certain angle or he doesn’t look normal. His nose looks like it was broken in a brawl. His tempo and timing never lets anger or angst get the upper hand. By the time Bullhead has come to an end we’re in Schoenaerts camp despite his affliction and his actions. Bullhead plays exclusively at the Alamo Drafthouse West Oaks.

- Michael Bergeron