Here's the story.

I was scouting locations in Brussels for my new film, october 2010, when we visited this very little flat. We needed an empty flat in a poor neighboorhood for several scenes, and the owner (the social services of Brussels) just told us that this one was available. I was totally surprised, when we came in, to discover that it was just like if people were gone out half an hour ago : clothes hanging in the bathroom, food in the fridge, dirty dishes in the kitchen, a mobile phone, opened and unopened letters, personnal letters, cigarettes and full ashtrays, a computer, a tv set… and some photo-albums with polaroids. The owner told us the man who was living here was alone with two dogs and died a year ago. Since then, everything was left just like it was on the day his body was carried away. How could it be that no family, no friends ever claimed for these memories, personnal stuff, papers, clothes, furniture… that no one even came to clean the place. The flat was about to be cleaned to be rented again after we shot the movie, and everything was about to be thrown away as garbage. I asked for the albums, and got them : the owner couldn’t care less. I just could not stand to see these pictures, the memories of a lifetime, destroyed. Just could not stand the idea of a family ignoring the death of a grandfather, a brother, an uncle or whatever… Such a miserable ending.
So here are these pics : simple family pics, though a few of them do have a pictural (and accidental) interest. I only got two names : one is written on the album « André Willemyns » and one is on the grave pictured on one of these pics : « André Deligne ». Don’t know who this man was. I asked his neighboor, she said she’s been living next door for years without ever talking to him. Maybe he was kind, maybe he was rude. Who knows ? All we can do is ask the pictures.
Of course if anyone recognize himself or someone he knows, I will happily give the albums back. Until then, these pictures will tell you their mute story. A very simple belgian family life.

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