The Dardennes continue to excel at presenting works of rigorous naturalism, with detached observations of authentic characters that nevertheless resonate with complex moral issues.
The Dardennes continue to excel at presenting works of rigorous naturalism, with detached observations of authentic characters that nevertheless resonate with complex moral issues.
A dispossessed twenty-year old Bruno lives with his eighteen-year-old girlfriend Sonia in Seraing, an eastern Belgian steel town. They live off Sonia's unemployment benefits along with the panhandling and petty thefts committed by Bruno and his gang. Their lives change forever when Sonia gives birth to their child, Jimmy. She returns home after Jimmy's birth to find that Bruno has sublet their apartment to total strangers. After an initial and promising change of heart about becoming a father
and changing his ways, Jimmy becomes little more to Bruno than a potential source of wealth. Desperate for money and unable to face his parental responsibilities, Bruno sells Jimmy to a black market connection, who promises to find the child an adoptive home. Realizing the error in his actions Bruno sets out to try and undo his callous deed, leading him to a powerful personal transformation.
No one is likely to leave L'Enfant unaffected by the Dardennes incisive exploration of the consequences of a world where some of its citizens have found a way to rationalize, and even ignore, what was if not unimaginable, at least unforgivable.
the Dardennes have managed to concoct an engaging and often suspenseful drama without ever calling upon fancy camerawork, sensational performances, or even so much as a musical score.
A film about roads and cell phones, decaying buildings and people who ought to be budding, indifference masked by buffoonery, the belief that money just floats around.
Foreign films often get shafted when it comes to DVD extras, so don't be alarmed by the single half-hour interview, basically a contest between the Dardennes and a radio host over who can sound more pretentious.
It's a thin story and the film is unremarkable in cinematic terms, except for the tension that the Dardennes manage to maintain, thanks to top performances from Jérémie Renier and Déborah François
I just didn't feel enough for the main character to be that invested in his plight, especially considering he brought all of his drama on himself through his own actions. Maybe that's the point of it, but if I want to watch an idiot make stupid decisions that effect other people's lives negatively, I'll keep watching
reality television. And here's the other thing about Italian neo-realism vs. the French style of the same thing (yeah, I'm getting all film schooly on your asses): at least the Italians new how to frame. I get it, it's part of the slice of life thing, but try the camera on the tripod once and see what it looks like. Paris is too beautiful of a city to be seen of out focus.
August 3, 2011
Tim Sigur
Super Reviewer
Wonderfully subdued tale of a father's (eventual) love. In many ways a latter day Oliver Twist, focusing more on the pickpocketing aspect. It shows how far people will go for money and how it can also blind their common sense. Bruno may be a bit naive in his actions but unfortunately we never see the real Bruno until
the last few frames. He only does the right thing when pushed into it due to very harsh circumstances. It's excellently shot, capturing the realistic harsh nature the film sets out to achieve. Slow in some places and not so well developed in others it is for the most part a truly affecting tale that doesn't sentimental.
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