Geoffrey Enthoven – Belgium – 2011

Hasta la Vista is a tragicomic film about three friends, Lars, Philip and Jozef. All of them have a physical handicap. Lars has a brain tumor forcing him to take to a wheel chair, Philip has paraplegia and can only move one hand and his head, and Jozef is almost completely blind. They decide it’s time to go on a road trip and have the time of their lives in Spain, so as not to let their dying friend Lars leave this world a virgin.

Like the films’ reels, this film is on a role. Revolving wheels are always present, whether it be from the wheel chair or the small bus that is taking them to Spain, or the moving landscapes behind the bus’s windows. They leave on their journey with a clear goal in mind, but along the way they get to know each other – and their grumpy bus driver – a bit better. Apart from the countries’ physical and fictive borders – or initially the language barrier between them and their French-speaking driver – the film also crosses an additional border, having physically disabled people in the main role without stereotypically stigmatizing them as helpless victims. Instead, it offers insights into these young men’s hopes and dreams, encouraging the viewers to think about their own assumptions, hopes and expectations, too.

With: Gilles De Schryver, Robrecht Vanden Thoren, Tom Audenaert

Duration: 115 minutes

Language: Dutch, French, Spanish (English subtitles)