Colleges, universities and similar institutions that change young rebels into pillars of social establishment might seem like thankless locations for any film that is supposed to provide some excitement to the audience. However, films like Animal House prove quite the opposite by showing students being involved in various extra-curricular activities like pranks, orgies and bizarre fraternity rituals. This dimension of academic life seems to be universal, at least judging by European universities that had almost whole millennium to develop their own bizarre and exotic customs. Some of those traditions might be dangerous, as demonstrated in Ad Fundum, 1993 Belgian drama directed by Erik van Looy. The plot deals with ine of such ancient traditions at one of Belgium's university - freshman initiation rites. Talented yet quiet freshman Sammy Raes (played by Sven de Ridder) can't pass one of such tests and dies as a result. His friends, convinced that his death was indirectly caused by intimidation by older students, decide to seek justice and their crusade would lead to conflict with official and unofficial campus establishment.
Ad Fundum looks like a film made by people familiar to their subject, and also by someone who can direct complicated scenes. Van Looy knows how to handle multitudes of people in front of camera and also to provide some action on the screen, using locations in various Belgian cities as an excellent background to the story. Unfortunately, the script by Mark Punt is burdened by cliches, including rather predictable and quite un-cathartic finale. Sex scenes that are thrown into the film almost without any connection to the plot, also make this film look too exploitative. This is quite a shame, since Ad Fundum could have been much better with just a little more effort by its authors.
RATING: 4/10 (+)
(Note: The text in its original form was posted in Usenet newsgroup rec.arts.movies.reviews on August 5th 2002)
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Movie URL: https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/24524-ad-fundum?language=en-US
Critic: AA
