Priest Daens

In the 1890s the textile factories of Aalst in Belgium are running. Children work at the machines, wages are at starvation level, accidents are routine, and workers have no vote. The Catholic church is on the side of the factory owners. Father Adolf Daens arrives in the town and writes a few pieces for the Catholic paper. The workers start listening and the owners rise up. Daens is expelled from the Catholic party and founds his own. Stijn Coninx's film rests on a novel by Louis Paul Boon and tells the story of a real person. The narrative does not make a saint of Daens; it shows a man caught between church and politics, standing against his own institution. Jan Decleir plays Daens. The film was nominated for the best foreign language film Oscar in 1993, the first Flemish production nominated in that category. Who it's for: Viewers who like European historical drama, narratives of the labour movement, and films based on real events. Who it's not for: The factory and child-labour scenes are harsh. It also runs long and goes into political detail.