This Belgian film "Meisjes" (English captions), features one of the better performances by an actress (Marilou Mermans) in the 2010 Seattle International Film Festival.
In this charming dramedy, she plays the mother of a winner and a loser. Her winning son is a successful businessman, complete with family, security and a good reputation. The loser is her other son, a wastrel, a boozer and a down-and-out musician.
At her husband's funeral, she reconnects with two old friends. The three of them had enjoyed a brief period of fame in their youth as a popular vocal trio, so she uses that old connection in an attempt to launch her musician son's nonexistent career. The women, now in their 70s, are hesitant, as the gap between their music and the driving beat of later generations seems unbridgeable.
We watch the musicians get acquainted, try to cobble together a compromise of styles and prepare for the "Big Night." (Of course, her son has entered them in a festival, much to the dismay of the more uptight son.)
Ultimately this film is unpredictable and mostly forgettable, but Ms. Mermans' performance... I'm impressed.
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