Yvan, a quick-tempered, 40-year-old vintage car dealer, surprises young Elie trying to burgle him. But he doesn't beat him up. Instead, he develops a strange affection for him and takes him home to his parents in his old Chevrolet. It's the start of an odd journey by two ne'er-do-wells through a magnificent but no less flipped-out country.
Bob Hope and Bing Crosby they're not. But director-actor Bouli Lanners and costar Fabrice Adde are on a comedy road to Eldorado, even if it takes place in a flat patch of mostly deserted Belgian landscape rather than some Hollywood Shangri-La.
Has a somewhat witty and absurdly funny first half, but, at midpoint, it loses its dry humor and abruptly turns darker and feels too rushed, dull and contrived.
One could only hope to find such succulence in austerity. Credit the bold helmer and the lead actor Bouli Lanners for having the courage to put himself into the minefield of acting and directing. He is superb at both.
If there's one thing the movie-going public is ready, willing, and able to suspend their disbelief toward, it's a contrived excuse for a filmic road trip.
In "Eldorado," Yvan(Bouli Lanners, who also wrote and directed)is unpleasantly surprised when he returns home to discover Elie(Fabrice Adde) hiding underneath his bed. At first, Yvan takes an agressive approach in rooting him out but he becomes cautious when Elie claims to have a knife. Come morning, Elie tries to
make a break for it but not before Yvan manages to trip him up. Instead of calling the police, Yvan takes pity on Elie who has been clean of drugs for two weeks and chose Yvan's since it was the only place around without a dog.(There's a lesson here...) Yvan drops him off at the corner to hitchhike a ride to his parents' place near the French border. Upon his return, Elie is still there and Yvan agrees to give him a ride...
"Eldorado" is a compelling road movie that deftly manages to balance its serious and offbeat elements(Alain Delon!?!). A lot of that comes from Yvan who imports American cars to Europe where the streets are too narrow to properly drive them.(If I remember my high school French teacher correctly, that is.) So, you have a man who is slightly out of place with his environment giving a ride to a stranger which is the right thing to do, even if he is doing it for the wrong reason. True charity does not need a reason and Yvan has to remember where his responsibilities end.
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