The beast in me is caged by frail and fragile bars

Bullhead
Michaël R. Roskam 2011 Belgium
Starring: Matthias Schoenaerts, Jeroen Perceval, Jeanne Dandoy, Barbara Sarafian, Tibo Vandenborre

Bullhead, Michaël R. Roskam's tale of violence and the 'hormone mafia', has big shoes to fill, having been compared by a lot of critics to Raging Bull, although that association says little about either film. Granted, both are gritty portraits of troubled masculinity that feature actors who've gained body mass and scenes of shadow boxing but that's pretty much where the similarities end. For one the bulls in this film are almost entirely literal and would be better described as sluggish. By the same logic you could also compare it to The Godfather: Part II because both concern family and the mafia and have extended flashback scenes but again they're nothing alike. The flashback scenes here span an altogether shorter time but give us some explanation for the main character Jacky's behaviour and mental (and physical) state and allow us to develop genuine empathy for him while also revealing the tragic irony that many of his more aggressive acts are frighteningly reminiscent of those of brutal attacker Bruno, who is responsible for most of his woes. The association is made even more obvious later when Bruno, now in an almost vegetative state, is visited by Jacky, who is now free to fight back but can't quite make himself do it. All Bruno can do in response is grunt and breathe heavily as if he's an animal. Throughout the film Jacky has looked like a beast is about to burst through his skin, when it finally does he too undergoes an astonishing transformation and thrashes and snorts like a buffalo being forced into a garden shed, taking out everybody in his path. Irony is a big part of Bullhead, not least in one scene that visually appears to be cruel and distressing but is actually a kind one - that of a caesarean performed on a cow. It also points to the film's central theme of man exerting power over nature. As Jacky Matthias Schoenaerts gives a towering, ferocious performance, even adopting a gait that makes him look like he's been shot in the pancreas, but still shows such fragility and timidity when faced with an old crush that he knows he can never fully pursue that, despite all the mayhem and steroids, you can't help but feel intensely sorry for him as, when it comes down to it, inside his monstrous frame is the essence of a child.