Cowboys and Indians – the cinema of Patar and Aubier

By Fabrice du Welz

Belgium / 2018 / 68 min/ French dialogues, english subtitles
Production : Panic!, Wallonia-Brussels Federation Cinematheque

At the beginning, there was Andrew, the bad horse. And Pic Pic, the magic pig. One day, on the benches of La Cambre, Stéphane Aubier meets Vincent Patar. Or the contrary. And this meeting will be the starting point of a long adventure and a story of friendship lasting more than thirty years..

Cowboys and Indians, the cinema of Patar and Aubier tells Stéphane and Vincent, but also the collective that revolves around the duo. A collective that has created a trademark and a unique humor.

When they lived together at Tenbosch Street, Patar and Aubier build what will later make their atypical universe, composed of both absurd funny and strange voices. If the apartment looks like a shambles, it’s no less a source of creativity : like imagining cardboard assemblages that will become Claudy's playground, cat. Or name the stove Francis. Or spend whole days making masks to surprise your roommate. Because Cowboy and Indian jokes don't come out of nowhere. It's a crazy world, inspired by the real lives of the authors and their friends, that the stories are drawn.

Accompanied by sidekicks as crazy as them, such as Rémy Belvaux, Manu Demeulemeester or Bernard Plouvier, the combo already places at La Cambre the milestones of what will later make them famous. Touch all, they will pass over the years of the drawing, in the comic book and, obviously, to the animation of small characters. As they meet Vincent Tavier, they make A Town called Panic: a series. And that's just the beginning …