Doel

A quiet, stubborn portrait of a disappearing town and the people who refuse to let it vanish.

Directed by

Frederik Sølberg

Genres

Documentary

Starring

Christoph Malcorps, Emilienne Driessen, Jerome de Paepe

Overview

26 people live in the Belgian city of Doel, and they have no plans of moving anywhere. Even if everyone else is busy telling them how hopeless their beloved ghost town is. Vandalised, dilapidated and an ironic destination for urban explorers, car nerds and Dutch techno ravers. Doel is squeezed between an industrial port and a nuclear power station, and since the 1960s the government has regularly tried to raze it to the ground to make space for a container park in the name of globalisation. The school, the shops and even the church have closed, and most houses have either been torn down or abandoned. But the last inhabitants are not giving up. Young as well as old agree to defend Doel to the very end.

How it feels

Melancholic, earnest and bleak. Measured and needs your attention.

About

Isolation, class, power, family

Content

Mild language. No violence, gore or sexual content.

Note

Written by AI, so it can be wrong. Full breakdown

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Watch the trailer on YouTube (opens in a new tab)