Comme un château fort – Films

Like a Fortress

Lou Colpé
Belgium | 2026 | 83 min
World premiere
Language : French
Subtitles : English

After the sudden disappearance of her partner one summer in Corsica, Lou Colpé returns to Durnal. Their home, a place where the absence is tangible, is transformed into a sanctuary. Everything there becomes a treasure and a ritual. She films what is reinvented every day: her survival. A moving manual for grief, Comme un château fort captivates with its luminosity, its humour and its masterful ode to friendship.

In the opening shots, a house is transformed into a dancefloor, soundtracked by the song “What is love? Baby don’t hurt me, no more”. Yellow letters appear on the screen, forming an intimate, instantly striking text. These are the filmmaker’s words. They guide us as she gradually comes to terms with her grief. Since the sudden death of her partner, Lou Colpé has felt “split in two”. Against almost everyone’s advice, she returns to the marital home, not to shut herself away, but to turn it into a kind of magical fortress and survive, one step at a time. Her camera captures the insistent nature of life: flaking varnish is a reminder that time passes, the grumpy cat must be fed, and voice messages become steadfast presences. In this static journey, the frame does not freeze grief but sets it in motion, revealing the space inhabited by the living so that life can continue. Reserved yet radiant, Comme un château fort serves as a vital reminder of the power of art to transcend pain.

Anne Delseth

Comme un château fort, 2026
Le temps long, 2019
Si tu étais dans mes images, 2018