meeuwen sterven in de haven (1955)

This pessimistic urban drama tells the story of a tormented man (Julien Schoenaerts) who wanders around in the cosmopolitan port city of Antwerp. Only three people seem to understand him, an orphan and two disillusioned women. Black-and-white images and the intelligent use of symbols like desolate industrial sites and abandoned docks, are the strenght of this expressive tragedy. With this film, aesthetics was introduced into Flemish films. It was the beginning of a serious, fully-formed cinema.