A priest, a love story, and enough injustice to fill a cathedral — Belgian musical theater goes HARD.
"Daens: The Musical" takes you to the Aalst (Belgium back in 1888) where Father Daens has his battle against the social mis-understandings and equal rights for everybody. At the same time there is a romance growing between Nette and Jan.
Acting
Lucas Van den Eynde burns with holy fire as Daens.
Score
Flemish folk meets Broadway bombast — unexpectedly devastating.
Production
Industrial Belgium never looked this gorgeously miserable.
Director
Frank Van Laecke
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Father Daens was a real historical figure whose 1891 election to parliament shook the Belgian Catholic establishment — the musical makes him basically Flemish Jesus.
The stage production ran for over a decade before this film adaptation, making it one of Belgium's most successful theatrical exports despite most of the world never hearing of it.
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