L’Enfant
Posted by martinteller on August 31, 2006
Very Bressonian, in the vein of L’Argent and Pickpocket. A lot of attention to details (especially of criminal acts), characters doing apparently mundane things, and of course moral transformation and redemption. L’Enfant goes for more of a realist style, however, with a lot of documentary-style shooting and no musical score (and without the nearly deadpan acting of Bresson’s films). This movie also shares its central flaw with L’Argent in that it hinges on the main character performing an extreme act, one that we’re not very convinced he would actually do. Besides that (and it’s a debatable point anyway) it’s a very good film that effortlessly gets you involved with the characters and their situation. This was my first by the Dardennes, and I’d certainly check out more. Rating: 8
