Who would have thought that a FEBO wall, the equivalent of a greasy food shack, could pass as revolutionary, high art to Americans?
Yup, turns out this Dutch staple is what piqued the audience’s interest during a screening of the French film Il fait beau (pronounced “fee-bo”) at the 2023 Tribeca Film Festival in New York, which took place last Sunday and Wednesday, reports AD.nl.
Comments including, “How unique” and “Do they really have such a wall in the Netherlands?” could be heard echoing through the theatre. The voices belonged to wonder-struck Americans, who found the wall “crazy” yet “funny”.
Love amongst the fries and frikandellen
The film features a romantic meet-cute between two lead characters in Amsterdam at a — you guessed it — FEBO wall. While a girl is shovelling snacks into the greasy cubby holes, a “lonely” French expat sees her and instantly becomes obsessed.
Il Fait Beau Official Trailer from LeonardoC on Vimeo.
We know what you’re thinking: “Sigh, wouldn’t it be great to have someone stare at us like that as we complete the most menial of tasks?”
But American viewers, on the other hand, were busy gawking in a mix of horror and awe at the freakshow before them: what could only be described as a mysterious “wall” of glass casing containing Dutch fried treats.
They had a hard time believing “that such walls exist” outside of the fictional world of the film. News flash: they do and they are beloved by Dutchies.
Leonardo Cariglino maakte de korte film ‘Il fait beau’ over een romance in een automatiek. Tot zijn eigen verbazing slaat zijn film in als een bom op het prestigieuze Tribeca Film Festival in New York.https://t.co/3tzcxfRNnx
— De Nieuws BV (@denieuwsbv) June 14, 2023
READ MORE | 5 Reasons I Love FEBO (aka that ever-giving wall of fried delicacies)
The real question is, how does the US live without them?
The film’s director, Leonardo Cariglino, is pleased by the critical acclaim he received, with several filmmakers confessing that “they liked [his] film best”.
Meanwhile, the Dutch weren’t phased by the inclusion of the snack wall, says Cariglino. In fact, they’re probably wondering how other countries can function without this Dutch go-to food option.
Considering it provides faster fast food, and a last-ditch attempt at nourishment after a night of black-out drunkenness, we’ve all had our lives and livers saved by a FEBO wall at some point or other.
READ MORE | A FEBO for Vegans? The Health Food Wall has just opened in Amsterdam!
According to Cariglino, the message behind Il fait beau — a film exploring the mental health effects of coronavirus lockdown—is to “go outside” and “take risks”.
Maybe “taking a risk” involves eating from a dodgy FEBO wall—just kidding, we love them.
Should the US start installing FEBO walls? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
