The Men Who Wait

On a slag heap that once belonged to a coalmine, revellers seek erotic gratification.

Shot on 16mm on location in France’s Raismes commune and on Belgium’s La Louvière – famed as historical beats – this unflinching, Berlinale-selected film eschews glorification in its portrayal of sex, conveying both loneliness and convenient companionship with a documentarian’s eye. Yet, as a story of two men who find each other, there is a quiet magic to this film that affords a glimpse into a very specific world.