Customer Reviews

Le silence de Lorna [Region 2]

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

LORNA'S SILENCE is a film that very quietly grabs you by the throat and makes you pay attention to the stories of several emigrants that spin out of control. It is written and directed by Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne with an eye for verismo in the seamier side of the immigration problems.

The story is set in Belgium where Lorna (Arta Dobroshi) works at a dry cleaners then goes home to her 'husband' Claudy (Jérémie Renier), a junkie who has been duped by Lorna and her little crime gang of cab driver Fabio (Fabrizio Rongione) and her boyfriend Sokol (Alban Ukaj)into marrying Lorna so that the Albanian girl can gain Belgian citizenship. Claudy seems a hopeless case, in withdrawal for the umpteenth time but committed to getting off heroin. He pleads with his 'arranged wife' to help him with his attempt to get clean. Meanwhile Fabio has other plans: Lorna is to 'marry' a wealthy Russian mobster to gain Belgian citizenship (a second arranged marriage) and in order for the second marriage to occur, Lorna must consent to letting Claudy overdose on heroin and die, making her a widow eligible for marriage. The other side story is that Lorna, now a Belgian citizen, can proceed with Sokol to set up a snack shop with Sokol using all the money she gains from the 'marriage game'.

All is well until Claudy convinces Lorna to help him get to a hospital and get 'clean' and along the way Lorna's feelings for Claudy turn to compassion and passion. An incident occurs that throws all of the plans to the wind and Lorna is left with her secret and will hopefully manage to find a stable life without the crime influence.

The acting is first rate and the moody atmosphere created is spellbinding. This is a little film that has a lot to say about the plight of immigrants. Grady Harp, April 10

The Dardennes brother have made better movies (most notably Rosetta), but also think that it's a movie well worth watching. The acting is extremely good and the direction manages to be both strong and subtle. They've managed to make the movie primarily through the point of view of the main character, while keeping a kind of distance at the same time. (it's probably a bit confusing as an explanation, but it's so unusual in a way that you'd probably have to see the movie to get my point). As to whether you'll enjoy it or not, you'd rather be the type of person who enjoys the journey at least as much as the destination, or you'll likely be disappointed

The introduction is direct. Lorna is married with an addict, as part of a contract. She is trying the Belgium citizenship and finally she gets it. But as part of this money chain, he has to get marry with a Russian citizen, but as widow not as divorced.

She will obtain 5000 euros for this simulated wedding. But when all the plans have been made (including the weird death of his first husband) a sudden factor irrupts : she is pregnant. That fact will lead the story to unsuspected consequences.

Nevertheless, the film is too slow. There was much intersections all the way along to explore and definitively were overlooked and dismissed. The dramatic tension is attenuated due precisely the slowness of the narrative pulse.

A solid script that could be enhanced.

Lorna's Silence is the latest from the writing-directing-sibling duo Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne. These Belgian brothers have a unique style--gritty, naturalistic, and focused on marginalized individuals struggling at the edges of today's "integrated" European society. But they also are a part of (and have influenced) a new wave of slow-burning, thought-provoking European cinema (the Austrian movie "Revanche" and the Romanian "Police, Adjective" spring to mind) that include thriller-like elements while allowing stories to unfold slowly, and rewarding patient viewing. Not surprisingly, these kinds of movies are not huge moneymakers in the blockbuster-oriented, subtitle-averse US market. Jeremie Renier who played a central role in the Dardennes' previous movie, the Palme d'Or-winning L' enfant, is a major character here, too. He's the junkie Claudy, whom Albanian-immigrant Lorna, played by Arta Dobroshi, has married in order to get the Belgian citizenship which will then pave the way for a bigger payday when she ends her first marriage and marries a wealthy Russian who's looking to set up in Belgium. The story is told from Lorna's perspective and Arta Dobroshi's breakthrough performance not only holds the whole movie together it also slowly reveals the psychological complexities of a character who is barely one rung above her supposedly disposable junkie husband on society's ladder. Despite her revolving door approach to arranged marriages, Lorna has a real boyfriend, Sokol, who is fully aware of the arrangements she's making with Fabio, the taxi-driver-mobster who is trying to make inroads with the Russians. Lorna and Sokol plan to use the money from Lorna's second marriage to open a snack bar. All along, the plan has been for Claudy to conveniently "overdose" to speed things along for all concerned. But when Claudy starts making the effort to get clean--and maybe join his wife-of-convenience on that higher societal rung--things get a bit more complicated for Lorna. It's tense, unpredictable and, without a soundtrack to soften the tension, quietly engrossing.

Familiar with the Dardennes Brothers' other films, I wasn't surprised by the way this story portrays its theme of arranged marriages to gain citizenship. As in a documentary, the camera follows its central character (often literally) as she goes from one place to another, the film seeming to catch events on the fly as they unfold. A consistent use of medium shots and rare long shots keep us close to the action, while providing little in the way of visual context. The effect is claustrophobic, and it heightens the pressure under which the character, Lorna, finds herself. The lack of a music track also permits little chance for relaxing taut emotions.

There is little or no direct explanation of what we are watching. You have to read subtitles and watch carefully to comprehend the dangerous situation Lorna has gotten herself into (although it may be clearer in the original language), and then we do not see some key plot developments occur because she is not present to witness them. It is a cynical world that is represented in the film and Lorna's attempt to defy it and assert a will of her own invite both sympathy and alarm for her vulnerability. Some viewers may object to the way the film tells its story so indirectly and slowly, ignoring certain screen conventions, and some will find the ending inconclusive, but I found the experience of the film absorbing, as well as unnerving in the way I believe it was intended.

In 2008, the Dardenne brothers - Jean-Pierre and Luc, known for their critically acclaimed and award winning films "L'enfant" (The Child) , "Le fils" (The Son) and La promesse" (The Promise) returned with "Le silence de Lorna" (Lorna's Promise" which would come to the 2008 Cannes Film Festival and win "Best Screenplay" and also win a Lumiere Award for "Best French Language Film".

The film revolves around an Albanian woman named Lorna (played by Arta Dobroshi) who lives in Belgium. She seems to be a normal, hard working woman until you discover that behind-the-scenes, her life is not what you expect. She is working with a mobster named Fabio (played by Fabrizio Rongione) and together they have worked out a plan in order to obtain Belgian citizenship by marrying a junkie named Claudy (played by Jérémie Renier). Then all she has to do is make sure she follows Fabio's twisted plan, so that she can divorce him and then marry a Russian man who is willing to pay a lot of money for Belgian citizenship. Meanwhile, Lorna has a happy relationship with her boyfriend Sokol (played by Alban Ukaj) who is aware of the underground dealings and encourages her to make money, so they both can own their own cafe.

As the plan seems to be going fine and life is going good for Lorna, out of nowhere, Claudy shows up to her home and asks for her help as he wants to straighten his life out away from drugs. He has been without drugs and is now going through the withdrawals and desperately asks Lorna to help him through his detox. Hesitant at first, Lorna slowly starts to find herself doing good by helping Claudy through his turmoil and that is when she discovers that Claudy is a good man and now she feels that she must help him but she knows that in order for Fabio's plan to work, she must convince him to beat on her (in order to gain a quick divorce) or else...Claudy must die.

And to make things even more complicated for Lorna, something unexpected happens to her that will change her life forever.

VIDEO & AUDIO:

"Lorna's Silence" is featured in 1:85:1 Anamorphic Widescreen. For the most part, the film looks good until we see the reds of her sweater and pants. It is when we see the reds that there is some compression artifacting but for the most part, for a DVD release, the film looks good and the cinematography by Alain Marcoen ("L'enfant", "L'fils") is well-done in capturing the various settings that Lorna visits.

As for audio, the film is presented in French 5.1 Dolby Digital and the film is front and center channel driven with dialogue. There are not many action scenes in this film and is primarily dialogue driven, so audio is clear and understandable.

Subtitles are in English.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

There are no special features included on this DVD but trailers for upcoming Sony Pictures Classics releases.

JUDGMENT CALL:

"Lorna's silence" is a gripping film about a woman who is part of an underground scheme in order to obtain (and help's other's obtain) legal citizenship in Belgium and marry and later divorce men for money. In this case, her situation is complicated because she ends up finding herself doing some good in her life by helping her junkie husband, Claudy. She has no strong binds to him as a "fake wife" but he has no one in his life but her to turn to and help him straighten his life out.

At first she sees him a nuisance and getting in the way of Fabio's plans but what is unexpected is that Claudy is not a bad man and most importantly, Lorna is not a bad woman. He's gotten caught up with drugs but wants to straighten out his life and Lorna makes a promise that if they divorce, she will still continue to help straighten out. But unfortunately, Lorna doesn't realize that working with mobsters... aside from the money she's going to make, the life she chose is not going to be easy going and throughout the film, we see Lorna starting to feel the repercussions of her decisions and what she will do in order to find redemption in her life.

The DVD is pretty much barebones and there are no featurettes included but for the film itself, the Dardenne brothers have come up with another film that is well-written and captures your attention from beginning to end. A solid performance from Arta Dobroshi and Jérémie Renier. Definitely a film worth watching!

Lorna's Silence (Sony Pictures Classics)

It is amazing how immigration, in all its variations, can be source of so many ideas for movies. We are accustomed, to some degree, to films that deal with such a hot topic in the United States in a certain way, that we rarely think about how this problem occurs and is dealt with in other countries (such as our health care debate, for that matter). There is definitely a dark side to this issue here and everywhere, and the penetrating "Lorna's Silence" presents an intriguing and honest look to this sad dilemma of our society.

Arta Dobroshi plays Lorna, an immigrant to Belgium that is trying as best as she can to establish herself in that country and live a happy life. For that purpose, she marries Claudy (Jérémie Renier), Belgian citizen who agreed to marry her for money. As it happens, Claudy is a junkie that needs the cash to fuel his drug habit, which he is trying to quit while living with Lorna. Even though Lorna works at a dry cleaner during the day, she wants more money in order that she and her boyfriend, who works out of town, can open a trendy coffee shop. She will accomplish this by marrying a wealthy Russian, who also wants to get the Belgian citizenship. But, in order to do that, she must first divorce poor Claudy, who needs her more than ever, now that he wants to quit his drug addiction. All the pressure and deadlines to comply with both the Russian and Claudy put Lorna in a difficult position, mostly because the whole divorce / marriage deal is being handled by the mob, who are not happy with the way she is handling herself.

Ably directed by brothers Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne, "Lorna's Silence" works slowly in your soul. It makes you feel what Lorna must be going through and the hard choices she has to take. After all, she is also human. But then, immigration, in many if not most cases, is all about money, and there is certainly no space for feelings. (Belgium/France, Italy, Germany, 2008, color, 105 min)

Senior writer Eric Gonzalez reviewed Loma's Silence on January 5, 2010 exclusively for [...]

Arta Dobroshi has proven very early in her career (this her first widely known film) she has a solid talent, and if this movie archives anything it will be a great beginning. Otherwise, the plethora of shortcomings in the writing here shine through as does the atrocious English subtitling in the R1 DVD.

The story follows a young woman as she navigates a variety of fake marriages/relationships to facilitate citizenship for both herself and those seeking another country of residence. Along the way we see long subtleties of her dealing with conflicting emotions, questionable handling by those running this operation and brief showings of a possible endgame. A great deal of the scenes directly follow her as she walks, contemplates and sometimes attempts to exude some inklings of normalcy between false situations. Great performance by Arta and I look forward to seeing more of her raw skills, but hopefully under a better direction. Several story lines disappear or are forgotten or happen off camera, which is fine - but would prefer to see significant events instead of having to assume what happened or how. Especially with the ending, another reviewer here stated enjoy the journey, because when you do get to that ending - it sucks of ambiguity and cutting things short for no legitimate reason.

The DVD runs 105 minutes, with no special features whatsoever. The film quality is fine and the 5.1 runs primarily through the center front. The subtitles had to be translated by a computer or they were giving literal translations of bad grammar, uncommon contractions and improper verbage, so I stopped counting after 20 or so gaffes and went with it. Overall, a good start for her, but a plodding film that could have been so much better with a below average DVD release - 3 stars for the acting and zero for the rest.

Just imagine the thriller oR the film noir that could have been made with such a screenplay! But the Dardennes brothers wrote it with the idea to film a realist drama. When Lorna gives a bowl of water to her husband as if he was a dog, would the scene have been more poignant in a film noir? Anyway, I liked a lot my first intrusion into the Dardennes' artistic world. Highly recommended.

What Arta Dobrishi does in this film is just impeccable. Truly, there is so much layering done here that just baffles me with each viewing. She completely understands the complex emotional contradictions that overtake Lorna. She also takes the time to flesh out every relationship, coloring each one individually so that we can see every side of this woman; fully fleshed out and three-dimensional. Just watch the way she shuts her husband out, only to fold for him in the thrusts of passion. But it doesn't end there. Her compassion; her tender concern is never betrayed by her clear repulsion by his weaknesses.

Ok, I'm ready to talk about the movie now.

`Lorna's Silence' is a VERY bleak film that centers around a young Albanian woman living in Belgium. Living in a semi-loveless marriage that was set up out of convenience so that she could obtain citizenship, Lorna is met with a conundrum of sorts when the same criminal that set up her marriage presents her with a messy way out. He needs Lorna to marry a Russian mobster seeking citizenship in Belgium. To avoid any questions or problems, Lorna is asked to assist her junkie husband to `overdose' so that she will be free to remarry. Lorna doesn't want to do this. Instead, she suggests a divorce, but her husband isn't really okay with that. Desperate to fulfill her obligations while maintaining some sense of morality (or at least humanity), Lorna is forced to make decisions that dig her hole deeper and deeper.

Don't look for an uplifting experience here, because it won't be found, but what will be found is a stark sense of realism that will keep the audience glued to every frame. Luc and Jean-Pierre Dardenne have had success with this breed of drama before (their '05 masterpiece `L'Enfant' is beyond unforgettable) and this isn't an exception. `Lorna's Silence' is frighteningly raw and realistic, despite circumstances that most of us are entirely unfamiliar with. A lot of that realism can be attributed to the acting, which is remarkable all the way around.

For those of you looking for something with grit and edge that doesn't lack a beating heart; this film is waiting for you to dig in.