ZILLION

Much about your appreciation for Zillion, which sells itself as a Flemish version of The Wolf of Wall Street, will hinge on how much you can emphatise with the film's unlikeable protagonist.

In the late nineties, early noughties, the Antwerp nightclub Zillion was a beacon of decadence and hedonism for many a Flemish youth. Director Robin Pront has now made a movie about the dance temple's quick rise and equally fast demise, centred around its owner, a small-time IT geek who reaches for the stars and doesn't care about bending some laws to get there.

Much about your appreciation for Zillion, which unashamedly sells itself as a local variation on The Wolf of Wall Street, will hinge on how much you can emphatise with the film's unlikely and unlikeable protagonist. I couldn't, so I cannot say I truly enjoyed the film.

Not only because lead actor Jonas Vermeulen lacks both the charisma and the acting chops to pull it off, but also because - despite a bunch of laser beams and flashy colours in the nightclub scenes - director Pront plays it visually safe: Zillion just doesn't have the pulsating rhythm this tale desperately needs.

One saving grace is Matteo Simone though, who lights up every scene with his portrayal of porn king Dennis Black Magic.

release: 2022

director: Robin Pront

starring: Jonas Vermeulen, Charlotte Timmers, Barbara Sarafian, Matteo Simone