The Fifth Season

The Fifth Season (La Cinquième Saison), 2013

Belgium / Netherlands / France, Blu-ray, Color, 93’, French / Flemish

Director: Peter Brosens, Jessica Hope Woodworth

Cast: Aurélia Poirier, Django Schrevens

An ordinary, nameless Belgian village is struck by a mysterious disaster and that year spring does not come. Obviously, the cycle of nature is capsized. When the annual bonfire celebrating the end of winter fails to burn, seeds stop sprouting and cows refuse to give milk. Filled with panic and hostility, the villagers come together; it won’t take them long to seek for a scapegoat. When nature virtually decides to punish humanity, the three village children Alice, Thomas, and Octave struggle to survive. This hair-raising apocalyptic film premiered at the Venice Film Festival.