It is no coincidence that television maker Karine Claassen is one of the rising stars of the VRT. Thanks to the journalist’s sincere empathy and her shrewd determination, even the biggest introvert is willing to share his inner feelings with her.
You can also see that talent at work On another. Claassen immerses himself in the world of people who withdraw into their own community, separate from social chaos. The first stop is the Orthodox priestly brotherhood of Saint Pius X in Antwerp, a Catholic faith group that is so conservative that even the Pope distances himself from it.
It was written in the stars that this would clash with the free-spirited Claassen, although she does do her best to empathize. You see her somewhat awkwardly joining the meal of the three priests and the brother who inhabit the church, just as she unfeignedly naively calls a confessional a ‘kot’ and moments later has open conversations with them about their life choices. That way reveals On another part of the appeal of a devout existence in which the earthly rat race is irrelevant.
The first cracks become visible when Claassen subtly exposes the hierarchy between the men. The only brother in the group says softly that he actually wanted to become a priest. Not only is he the subordinate handyman on duty, he was also transferred from the Netherlands to Belgium without any qualms. The brother willingly accepts it as his divine fate, as a viewer your heart breaks.
The final break, however, occurs when Claassen questions the men about homosexuality (which they compare to a crime such as theft) or abortion (about which they distribute explicit flyers that equate abortion with murder). Although the key question remains why these men chose this life.
From the first scenes you understand that they might have difficulty finding a place elsewhere in society. To put it somewhat circumspectly: you can assume that Claassen was popular at school, but not really that of the gentlemen. They probably weren’t among the smartest in the class either.
That outsider position is the unspoken thread On another. As a reviewer, I was already able to watch episode two. Claassen meets the lost souls who seek connection with others in the virtual world of Second Life irl to lack. Once again I am left with a knot in my stomach.
There is a certain comfort in the fact that these types of people find an alternative place where they belong. However, at the same time you have to wonder why our welfare state fails to provide them with a better framework. The fact that such communes on the margins are not necessarily innocent is immediately apparent when you think about what would happen if the radical church of St. Pius
It is these types of questions and zoom-out analyzes that I still miss a bit On another. Although Claassen will most likely notice that the Canvas viewer can think for himself.
Tuesday on Canvas and VRT Max.
