Synopsis
From the directors of the critically acclaimed La Promesse (1996) comes this stark portrayal of a young woman coming of age at the edge of social oblivion. Rosetta (Émilie Dequenne) lives in a tiny, beat-up trailer without toilets or running water with her alcoholic, irresponsible, and utterly dispirited mother, who requires her frequent care. Rosetta longs to have a "normal" life and become a productive member of society, but even this modest goal seems beyond her grasp. Quietly terrified that she will slide into the abyss like her mother, she wages a desperate, purely instinctive battle to lift herself out of her wretched, semi-feral existence. At the film's outset, she is bodily removed from her job at a food factory; for much of the rest of the film, her attempts to gain employment are thwarted by the callousness and indifference of others. The only person to show any kind of sympathy is Riquet (Fabrizio Rongione), who ekes out a pittance at a waffle stand while secretly skimming profits from his boss. Though his awkward attempts to gain her interest go unacknowledged by the barely socialized Rosetta, the two develop something like a friendship. Later in the movie, however, her loyalty to her new-found friend clashes with her all-consuming desire for a job. First-time actress Dequenne, who spent time in a similarly harsh environment to prepare for the role, won the Best Actress prize at the 1999 Cannes Film Festival. This film also won the coveted Palme d'Or at Cannes and was screened at the 1999 Toronto Film Festival.
What Critics Say
This film was the surprise winner of the Palm d'Or at the 1999 Cannes Film Festival and was selected as a feature at the New York Film Festival. Written and directed by the Belgian brothers Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne, the movie examines the life of an impoverished young woman, played by Cannes Best Actress co-winner Emilie Dequenne, who is seeking to better herself. The filmmakers clearly intended to make a political statement regarding the plight of those living on the edge and to highlight the need for reform in the Belgian social services system. Yet the movie functions more as a personal drama than as social commentary. By focusing solely on their heroine and her almost feral approach to life, les freres Dardenne dilute their message.
Using handheld cameras that literally thrust the audience into the fray, the film opens as Rosetta is fired by her employer. For the young girl, her work is her only reason for living. Other than her job, Rosetta's days consist of looking after her sluttish, alcoholic mother, illegally fishing in the lake at the campgrounds in which they live and struggling to pay the rent. Like the hero of Frank Whaley's "Joe the King", Rosetta is a child forced to grow up too early. Given the stress and uncertainty of her life, it's not surprising that she is plagued by unexplained stomach pains (perhaps an incipient ulcer, maybe something more serious).
The filmmakers detail all the minutiae of Rosetta's life from the instant she loses her job, and therein lies one of the films flaws. There are seemingly endless shots of Rosetta crossing a highway, trading her shoes for boots which she stores in an abandoned drain pipe, then tromping through the woods to her home. The sequences become repetitious quickly and add little to the viewer's understanding of the character's psyche.
The film makes one thing abundantly clear-the deck is stacked against Rosetta in her quest to better herself. Every effort she makes to secure employment ends badly. A baker hires her only to let her go when his son needs work. She is befriended by a male coworker who operates a waffle stand and her reaction to his kindness is both curious and devastating. As the film proceeds, Rosetta's single-minded pursuit of employment colors everything in her life, to the point where she is willing to do almost anything to find a job.
Building a film around an unpleasant character can offer viewers rewarding insights, but only if the actor who plays the character possesses the necessary charisma to charm the viewer into caring in spite of it all. In her first major role, Dequenne projects an appropriate scrappiness and sense of frustration, but she is not yet accomplished enough to make Rosetta consistently compelling. She has an ordinariness that works here but doesn't, in the opinion of this reviewer, transcend the role sufficiently to raise it the rank of award-worthy work. The supporting players are all filtered through Rosetta and her psyche, so as a result most of the other actors barely register, except for Fabrizio Rongione as the waffle maker. He injects a welcome boost of energy into the film.
As character study, "Rosetta" succeeds, but as great filmmaking, it misses the mark.
* MPAA rating: R, for language.
'Rosetta'
Emilie Dequenne: Rosetta
Fabrizio Rongione: Riquet
Anne Yernaux: Rosetta's Mother
Olivier Gourmet: Boss
A USA Films presentation. Directors Jean-Pierre Dardenne and Luc Dardenne. Producers Jean-Pierre Dardenne, Luc Dardenne, Laurent Petin and Michele Petin. Screenplay Jean-Pierre Dardenne and Luc Dardenne. Cinematographer Alain Marcoen. Editor Marie-Helene Dozo. Production Design Igor Gabriel. Costume Design Monic Parelle. Running time: 1 hour, 30 minutes.
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