Film

Grey Matter

2011 · 1h 50m · Drama

IMDb

6.3

Rotten Tomatoes

100%

Balthazar is a young African filmmaker on the brink of directing his first project, The Cycle of the Cockroach, a fictional story about a young woman who survived unspeakable atrocities only to find herself committed to the same mental institution as a man driven insane by the crimes he perpetrated during the war. Potential funders for the film insist the themes are too bleak and pessimistic-they encourage Balthazar to make a "message" film that raises awareness about gender-based violence or HIV/AIDS instead. But he refuses to give up. Instead of telling his production team the news, Balthazar continues preparations for the film without financing or equipment. After rehearsing a scene with each of the characters, reality blurs and scenes from the script materialize, provoking the question: Can a film like this exist only in the director's dreams? Armed with a daring and creative visual language...

Ruth Nirere

Justine

Herve Kimenyi Rutaremara

Balthazar

Ramadhan Shami Bizimana

Yvan

JP Uwayezu

Madman

Natacha Muziramakenga

Mary

Juma Moses Nzabandora

Psychiatrist

Jean Pierre Kalonda

Man from the commission

Mazimpaka Kennedy

Moneylender

Tamim Hakizimana

Lying technician

Alice Kayibanda

Jacqueline Umutoni (voice)

• Kivu RuhorahozaDirector · Writer
• Ari WegnerDirector of Photography
• Antonio Rui RibeiroEditor

Release date

April 21, 2011

Status

Released

Original language

French

Runtime

1h 50m

Genres

Drama