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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Dardennes do it again!, December 12, 2000
Coming off the critical success they had with their first movie, "La Promesse," the Dardenne brothers again give us a glimpse into the monumental struggles that encompass our everyday lives. Emilie Dequenne, in her first screen appearance, plays Rosetta, a young woman determined to find a job and keep it. That's it, there's your story. No farts or fireworks. The petty and pathetic lives of those around her, though, prevent her from obtaining a glimpse of normality. Somebody who wrote a review here complained that the motion on the film was too jerky, ala "The Blair Witch." There are essential scenes in the film where a hand held camera is used but there is no excessive use of it and, like I said, these scenes are required as Rosetta is always on the move. She has no time or desire to remain still and dormant like the others around her, and thus, as the story is told from her point of view, the camera must move with her. Again, unlike the Blair Witch, this movie is a realistic view of hell and fear in today's world. The last sequence in the film is just tremendous. Buy this, you will not regret it.
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Winner, Palm D'Or: Best Shoulder, December 29, 2002
I remember, at least half a dozen times, passing this movie by in the video store, gravitating towards it due to the legend "Winner Palm D'Or Best Actress/Best Picture" and the lovely face of Emilie Dequenne, then passing it by after reading the back. The summary of the plot bored me so immediately and intensely that I could not imagine actually sitting and watching the film. I eventually changed my mind, and thankfully so. Rosetta is an absolutely driven character, almost an animal, single-minded in her goals. Those goals are mundane: find a job, lead a normal life. Her obstacles are mundane: rent, alcoholic mother, cramps. She asks questions, gets her answers, and walks away with no pretense of social grace. For most scenes the camera either points in the direction of Rosetta's POV, over her shoulder, or aims directly into her face. The shot rarely sits still: action and object are the same here. We see what she sees as she sees it and make judgments about people and situations alongside her, a process that usually reveals how silly normal people seem when viewed by someone with no tolerance for nonsense. She does not understand dancing - leisure, or why people would indulge in it when other things need doing, is foreign to her. Routine fills her existence, and when the routines of friendship and work cannot be found, she constructs new and even unnecessarily complicated routines: cross the road to find the sewer where she hid her boots, change out of shoes into boots to cross the mud to reach the lake where she's set up fish traps with bobbypins and broken bottles, every day. She doesn't even keep the fish. In that way she, like most of us, is completely neurotic - but who has the motivation to carry out their designs with so much determination, in ignorance of those neuroses? Who completely ignores defeat? I would recommend other Dequenne pictures, but apparently her only other role is alongside Mark Dacascos in the inscrutible Brotherhood of the Wolf. Stick with Rosetta and enjoy.
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
another low budget,avante garde triumph, October 17, 2000
Rosetta,a film that deals with the struggles of a young woman who has just been fired from her job at a factory in Belgium,was an extremely pleasant surprise for me.Emilie Dequenne's performance in the lead role is riveting,realistic,raw,and energetic.If this were a film financed by hollywood,there's no doubt her gender would have been exploited,and she would have been some sexpot with boy troubles.Not so in this cinematic effort.The focus is almost entirely on her effort to secure employment just so she can get a meal and help her alcoholic mother with the rent.She doesn't have time to chase boys,she's only concerned with surviving.The most startling aspect of this film is it's avoidance of manufactured sentimentlity,complete with cheasy music,to get the viewer to sympathize with her predicament.There's no epiphanies,startling revelations,or some cheap trick ending tacked on for marketing purposes.The way the film is shot(16mm or digital video(i'm not sure),handheld tracking shots,what seems like natural lighting)gives it a powerful,frenetic feel.Some people are turned off by the camera movement,but to do it any other way would negate the spontaneous,out of control atmosphere(maybe it doesn't bother me because i spent almost 2 years out at sea without getting sick).The camera follows her every move,you'll feel like a peeping tom stalking this young lady.The supporting cast are all solid,but it's really Dequenne's show,it's the main reason to seek out this hidden gem.Highly recommended,especially for the art house crowd.My only complaint,and it's not with the film itself,is that,why can't more director's take chances with movies such as Rebecca.It's an example of what can be accomplished when you don't try to please the masses,and truly "reflect" grim realities(something hollywood portends to do).Croupier,Dark Days,Human Resources,Blair Witch,The Last Broadcast,and now Rebecca,it's been an amazing 2 years for independent film.I consider this another one of my all time favorites.
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