Amongst movie buffs, there has been some quiet buzz about the dark comedy In Bruges. Starring Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson, and Ralph Fiennes, it’s the story of two hit men who suddenly find themselves out of their element in Bruges, Belgium. Yeah, it turns out Bruges is a town. It’s pronounced like “rouge,” apparently.

Now that the film has premiered at Sundance, the word of some critics is starting to come back - most reviews can be described as “cautiously optimistic.”

Nobody seems willing to give In Bruges a wholehearted endorsement. Vic Holtreman’s review at Screen Rant is typical: he labels it enjoyable, disjointed, funny, and profane. His TL;DR summary? “While the individual parts of the movie satisfy, In Bruges doesn’t really come together as a whole.”

It’s a story we’ve heard all too many times in independent cinema. It’s just not enough to make a fun, quirky story if it doesn’t all fit together. It hasn’t been enough for a long time. So why do filmmakers persist in creating films in In Bruges, The Great New Wonderful, and The Ice Harvest? I’ll have to reserve judgment on In Bruges until it’s made available to the little people - sometime around February 8th - but early reviews don’t look promising.

Are you, too, discouraged by the state of independent film - or do you love it to death? Either way, leave me a comment. Go on! Don’t be shy!

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