About the film

The Belgians look forward to it with bated breath, just like top chef Sergio Herman, mussel breeder Henk and many others: the start of the mussel season. But how does this shellfish end up on our plates, and why do we love it so? The film sheds light on the life of the mussel in an intimate, down-to-earth manner. We observe its complete life cycle: the mussel that procreates, the mussel that holds on with all its might, and the mussel that is cast off by the storm. Along the way, we encounter passionate enthusiasts who also fall in love, struggle and overcome. A biologist named Annelies introduces us to the sexual habitat of mussels, and then she becomes pregnant – by the mussel man himself. Top chef Sergio, who once had a love-hate relationship with the shellfish, now specializes in its preparation. A gynecologist called Jan uses the glue mussels make to save the lives of unborn babies. And then there is the Miss Mussel pageant.

Wybrane festiwale i nagrody / Selected festivals and awards: 2012 – CPH:DOX Kopenhaga / CPH:DOX Copenhagen, 2012 – MFF Amsterdam / IDFA