Belgium Waffle Well Worth Watching (Rosetta (DVD))

Member Name: Zmugzy

Product:	Rosetta (DVD)
Date:	04/09/09 (125 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Superb performances

Disadvantages: Hand held camera a little too shaky at times

Rosetta is the first film I've seen by Belgian film directors and brothers Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne. It's also the first time I've been influenced to rent a movie after reading a review on Dooyoo (The writer will know who she is :-)). The film was first released in 1999 and was the winner of the 1999 Palme d'or at Cannes

Rosetta follows the daily struggles of a young girl not long out of school who is struggling to find permanent employment. In the opening scene we see her getting chucked out of a government training scheme type job - her contract has come to an end but she doesn't want to leave and end's up punching the boss - it's not the only fight she has in the film. Her home life is just as bleak. Rosetta lives in a caravan with no running water and has to put up with her alcoholic Mother who is in the habit of selling her body for few extra bottles or to pay the rent. From the start we sense that Rosetta is desperate to find a steady paid employment and not to end up wasted like her Mother with whom she seems to have a love - hate relationship. The camera follows Rosetta out on to the streets selling clothes and poaching fish from a private lake - simple tasks but fascinating viewing - I've never seen fish being caught that way before.

During her attempts to find work she draws the attention of a young man Riquet (Fabrizio Rongione) who works at a waffle stall but she is weary of getting too close to him. The film plays with your emotions and especially uses the relationship between these two characters to keep you guessing as to what will happen next. At first you empathise with Rosetta and her plight and the social and physical obstacles she has to overcome but then she does something unexpectedly cruel and seems to betray those who try to help her - it is then that you begin to question her morality and wonder if your initial empathy has been misplaced.

Rosetta is shot in a realist documentary style and is so effective that at times it does seem like you're watching a the daily routine of a real person in all its intimate detail. Émilie Dequenne's performance in the lead role is outstanding and it is hard to believe that this was her first part in a film - no doubt she received careful guidance from the two directors. The subject matter of poverty and being unemployed in a rich country is a theme so rarely covered by film makers and it is refreshing to see it being handled so well here. One is reminded somewhat of the films of Ken Loach and Mike Lee.

The Dardenne brothers rely a lot of the time on shaky close up camera shots. These work well for many of the action scenes later on in the film, however, I didn't like the camera technique in the first ten minutes when we follow Rosetta on one of her many secret journeys. It wasn't so much the shaky handheld camera but the fact that it is held so very closely to Rosetta and the things she is doing. I understand the directors had a purpose in this as they wanted to focus intently upon Rosetta's world and nothing else - the film is about her from start to finish and if I'm not mistaken she is in virtually every scene - but I'm not sure they get the technique right in the opening scenes. On the other hand perhaps their technique was spot on because after the first ten minutes I was completely absorbed in Rosetta's world.

The DVD has some nice little extras which enabled me to gain some insight and understand the film a little more. There are two short interviews with the two directors. In one they talk about a previous well acclaimed film 'La Promesse' and in the second interview they discuss a little about the meaning behind Rosetta and in particular the significance of the rather abrupt ending to the film. Another must see extra is a small snippet of the Cannes ceremony where the directors and lead actress go up to get their awards - a very moving experience. I also liked the gallery pictures that really show you how Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne really enjoy what they do.

Rosetta really is a lovely film - refreshing, different, original and after 95 minutes I just didn't want it to end.

Summary: Superb social realism from the brothers Dardenne