“Nobody Has to Know” (M) *** and a half

UNLESS you are Belgian, the name of Belgian writer (in conjunction with Stéphane Malandrin), director (in conjunction with Tim Mielants ) and actor Bouli Lanners may be little known to you. Never mind. He’s been a prolific film person since 1989 (92 acting roles, seven titles from behind the camera). 

In “Nobody Has to Know”, Lanners plays Belgian farmhand Phil, working on a remote Scottish island.

We meet him being brought home from hospital. He’s had a stroke, lost his memory. He doesn’t know where home is or who he is, but next day his boss’s daughter Millie (Michelle Fairley) knocks on his door to remind him. 

She brings him to work, shows him around and tells him about their secret love affair. Their chemistry is undeniable, his hands seem accustomed to the work, his mattress conforms to his body, there’s a dog he can’t account for, and his memory remains slow to return.

Millie is shy and reserved. The real secret waiting to be unlocked isn’t that they were lovers, but that they never were. Millie has simply taken advantage of this unique situation to make something happen that neither had the courage to do beforehand.

This is a gentle, affectionate, well-structured little (99 minutes) movie that sits well with the soul. Its location on a Scottish island is at the same time bleak yet beautiful. Its people are real. Its thesis can be a comfort for anybody needing a cinematic diversion from life’s burdens.

At Dendy and Palace Electric