Poetry Liberates Freedom of Expression in This Short Film for the EU

HAMLET Brussels’ Jaco Van Dormael, director of the feature film Mr Nobody, has helmed a short film for Kommitment’s European Union campaign, ‘EUandME’. 

With a hint of dystopia, ‘The Shape’ shows a black cloud settling over a pleasant French village. The rain-like deluge begins pouring from the sky trapping the villagers into shelter, unable to go anywhere. The downpour destroys musical instruments, radios, computers and halts the freedom of civilian life as they know it. A heroic poetry reader steps outside into the black rainstorm and passionately recites French poet Paul Eluard’s well-known poem, ‘Liberté’ which immediately stops the downpour and the cloud vanishes restoring the status quo.

The poem is particularly poignant as it is an ode to liberty written by Eluard in 1942 during the German occupation of France. 

The EUandME films underpin the European Union’s fundamental beliefs and opportunities for its citizens within the EU, such as the right to live without discrimination, freedom to travel, live, study and work across borders, promoting help with start-up businesses and freedom of speech.  

Jaco says: “The script was good, so it was easy to direct. It is important to me because Europe is important to me. When you put a cardboard box in a field full of crows, the old crows fly away with fear, and the young crows are curious and go close to look at the box. Therefore it is important that the young people vote for Europe, not because of fear, but because of passion."