Sobriety: New Highs

In Belgium, alcohol is more than a social habit. It is woven into the fabric of daily life, celebration, and identity, making the simple act of saying no a quietly radical decision.

Directors Salomé Lauwerijs and François Gonce follow four Belgians — Laura, Alexandre, Arthur, and Charlotte — each of whom has chosen to live without alcohol, though for very different reasons. Some have lived through addiction. Others simply decided to step away. The film moves between their distinct worlds without commentary or expert testimony, letting the texture of their everyday lives carry the weight of the subject.

Shot in an intimate, observational style, the documentary asks what sobriety actually looks and feels like when it is lived rather than theorised. There are moments of temptation, solitude, and unexpected lightness. Archival images are layered onto the protagonists themselves, revisiting the past without intruding on it.

The film also looks outward, at a broader cultural shift gathering pace across Belgium: alcohol-free social spaces, new forms of celebration, a growing conversation about what it means to have a good time.

Nothing here is preachy. The film creates space for reflection and leaves the questions open.