Matière grise (2011): Besetzung, Handlung & Streaming

Released in 2011, Matière grise is a drama film directed by Kivu Ruhorahoza, running about 110 minutes.

What it’s about. Balthazar is a young African filmmaker on the brink of directing his first project, The Cycle of the Cockroach, a fictional story about a young woman who survived unspeakable atrocities only to find herself committed to the same mental institution as a man driven insane by the crimes he perpetrated during the war. Potential funders for the film insist the themes are too bleak and pessimistic-they encourage Balthazar to make a "message" film that raises awareness about gender-based violence or HIV/AIDS instead. But he refuses to give up. Instead of telling his production team the news, Balthazar continues preparations for the film without financing or equipment. After rehearsing a scene with each of the characters, reality blurs and scenes from the script materialize, provoking the question: Can a film like this exist only in the director's dreams? Armed with a daring and creative visual language...

Who’s in it. Matière grise stars Ruth Nirere as Justine, Herve Kimenyi Rutaremara as Balthazar, Ramadhan Shami Bizimana as Yvan and JP Uwayezu as Madman, among others.

How it landed. With an audience score of 5.8/10, Matière grise has drawn a solid, mixed-to-positive response.

Where to watch. Streaming options change often. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch Matière grise page.

If you liked it. Fans of Matière grise tend to enjoy Die Verurteilten, Der Pate, Schindlers Liste and Der Pate - Teil II.