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Amos Lassen wrote on 05/03/2012:

Jacky Vanmarsenille (Matthias Schoenaerts) is a domineering cattle farmer who is filled with steroids and hormones. He had suffered a childhood trauma and was responsible for a somewhat shady deal with a member of the mafia. The murder of a federal agent and the reappearance of a woman from his past cause consequences for Jacky and he faces the true definition of manhood and must decide whether it is emotional or hormonal. We do not often get films that are about the true nature of masculinity and this is one that has a lot to say.
The film was nominated for the best foreign film Oscar in 2012 and the lead actor’s performance has a lot to do with that. It contains a great deal of violence and male nudity. Jacky, who seems unsure of his manliness, uses a great deal of human and animal injections so that he can keep his body as he wants it. He and Diedrick (Jeroen Perceval), a closeted childhood friend become somewhat involved but Jacky does not know that aside from working for the local mafia, Diedrick is also a police informant. When the two are together, Jacky suddenly is faced with memories from a traumatic experience from his childhood and drug-influenced violence ensues.
The underlying theme of gender identity permeates the film. The film is brutal as it deals with male insecurity and macho stereotypes.
You may wonder why Jacky is so obsessed with developing a perfect male body and this is due to the trauma from childhood. Some 20 years earlier, he experienced something that would affect his manhood forever (you will have to see the movie to know what happened). Set in Belgium, the film also shows the antagonism between the Dutch who speak Flemish and the Belgians who speak French. This is director Michael Roskam’s first film and one that he can be very proud of.