THE PAST IMPERFECT/ LE PASSE DEVANT NOUS

Belgium, 2016, 110 minutes, Colour.
Evelyne Brochu, Zuri François.
Directed by Nathalie Teirlinck.

The Past Imperfect is the story of an escort in Brussels, her way of life, her clients, money issues, no personal relationships, a certain loneliness except with communicating with her driver.

Suddenly she finds that the father of her son has been killed in a car accident and his brother brings the little boy to her apartment and leaves him with her. She has no skills in being a mother, continues her work, leaving the boy at the apartment or in the care of her driver or another babysitter. She does go out with him, buy some toys, is tempted to abandon him in the street, takes more notice of him, begins to understand how a little boy ticks, talks, plays, and his needs.

Eventually, she wants to give up her work but finds this difficult, finding a room designer and decorator for a partner, who also babysits the little boy.

As might be expected in this kind of story, she gradually begins to feel something for the boy, whom she calls her nephew, and, eventually, bonds with him so that he calls her mother.

1. Human story? The European city? Escorts and prostitution? Parent-child challenge?

2. The city, apartments, the streets, hotels? The ordinary aspect of city life? The venues for the escort? The musical score?

3. The title, Alice and her life, as an escort, as a person, her relationship with Robin’s father, her clients? Michael as her driver?

4. The portrait of Alice, her age, experience, her apartment, her possessions? Michael as her driver and communication with him? The range of clients presented, the audience understanding her, her attitude towards the clients, her behaviour, the payments? The appointments and being driven?

5. Michael, his family in Africa, sympathetic, caring for Robin, playing with him, babysitting? The glimpse of him with his family in Belgium?

6. The brother, his arrival with Robin, Alice receiving the news of the accident and the death? The brother leaving Robin with her? Her bewilderment, her reactions, calling him her nephew, looking after him in the apartment, yet leaving for her clients, communicating with him, caring for him?

7. Robin a little boy, his age, the death of his father, the absence of his mother? With Alice, as her nephew? In the apartment, the toys, buying them at the supermarket, the pigeons and chalk circle and the later death of the pigeon and Alice was burying it? His friendship with Michael, playing with him, the toys, the conversations about family?

8. Olivier, his design work, the attraction to Alice, the relationship? His relationship with Robin, babysitting him?

9. The neighbours, an interest in Robin? Robin in the street, Alice tempted to abandon him? Her trying to care for him? Domestic details along with her dressing for her clients? Explaining she would be back later and his reference to the vampire?

10. The gradual relationship between the two? Alice and the challenge to her way of life, the clients, wanting to stop, the job interview at the hotel?

11. Robin, riding the bike, Alice playing with him – and his finally calling her mother?