Experiencing Interruptions?

The Village Idiot

Bob, the local village idiot, invites us to spend the day with him. We don’t know much about him, other than he’s been left home alone against the advice of his superiors and that he's still in recovery. He pulls us into his world—or is it a fantasy? A delusion? A hallucination? In this film, Michell Heyndrickx draws from his own experiences with psychosis and psychological vulnerability, as well as the way these issues have historically and culturally been understood. By writing and performing not just the role of Bob but all the characters in the film, Heyndrickx reclaims his voice—a voice that has often been taken over by art and media throughout history. He challenges the clichés and stereotypes surrounding psychological vulnerability.

The film’s aesthetic is inspired by the surreal, artificial worlds of low-budget TV shows and interactive children’s programs, which often feel strange and unsettling due to their artifice. Heyndrickx built the sets entirely from cardboard and paper, a metaphor for the fragility of our perception of reality.

  • Michell Heyndrickx
    Director
  • Project Title (Original Language):
    De Dorpsgek
  • Project Type:
    Experimental, Short
  • Runtime:
    8 minutes 31 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    June 8, 2024
  • Production Budget:
    450 EUR
  • Country of Origin:
    Belgium
  • Country of Filming:
    Belgium
  • Language:
    Dutch
  • Shooting Format:
    digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    Yes - Michell Heyndrickx
  • Expo: Steeds Buiten
    Gent
    Belgium
    June 12, 2024
    Belgium
  • Expo: Graduation Show, Luca School Of Arts
    Gent
    Belgium
    June 22, 2024
  • Expo: Pornstar Martini
    Scheldewindeke
    Belgium
    October 3, 2024
Director Biography - Michell Heyndrickx

Michell Heyndrickx is a Belgian artist, who lives and works in Ghent. In his practice he explores themes such as psychosis, psychological vulnerability, the Flemish landscape, (residential) architecture, sociological topics, folklore and (local) history. He doesn’t want to be pinned down to one certain medium and uses a wide variety of materials, media and artforms, such as: painting, drawing, filmmaking, sculpting, acting and writing.

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Director Statement

During the past year I passionately worked on The Village Idiot, writing tons of different scenarios and scripts, sketching a dozen storyboards, creating multiple sets, props and characters, and trying out all kinds of things with my camera, microphone and editing software. Eventually I created this final version of the film. During the making process I simultaneously wrote my thesis, which revolved around the topic of psychological vulnerability in the (art) world, and the controversial history they have together - in the form of Art of the Insane, Outsider Art, and an overall sense of it being a “lesser” artform simply because it is created by those that have mental issues. During this process i linked it to my own experiences i had as a patient in mental hospitals during the past ten years, a psychosis i went through when i was 19 years old and my journey through the “psycho-analytical system” that started 15 years ago and finally gave me some answers in the spring of 2023, when i finally got my diagnosis of PTSD and Psychotic Vulnerability.

In The Village Idiot I show the stereotypical ways how people with psychological issues and a psychiatric past are perceived by the media and overall society. However, I did not want to come off as too preachy, and wanted to burst the bubble of me - an artist with mental problems - as a vulnerable creature that needs to be emancipated by the same institute that put me in an unwanted box in the first place . With the comedic tone of this film I want to focus on laughing, which to me is a severely underexposed emotion in the cultural world. It ties us together, relativizes this whole human experience and is a great symbol of hope.