30. L’ENFANT. (2003)
Directed by The Dardennes Brothers
The Dardennes brothers are probably European cinema’s most consistently excellent filmmakers of the decade just passed. From LE FILS to ROSETTA to THE SILENCE OF LORNA, their films are fresh, exciting and emotionally eviscerating, L’ENFANT is the pick of the bunch.
Our central characters are a teenaged Belgian couple, who scam their way through their lives, just above abject poverty, and expecting their first child. At first it seems like the guy has an unhealthy hold on the girl, but motherhood changes the dynamic, and the rhythm of their lives.
The Dardennes’ flair is for (almost hyper) realism, we care about these characters because we can sense the urgency in their plight. Much of this is down to the performances of Jeremie Renier and Deborah Francois, each of whom is brilliant. While Renier (THE SILENCE OF LORNA, SUMMER HOURS, ATONEMENT, IN BRUGES) and Francois (THE FIRST DAY OF THE REST OF YOUR LIFE, THE PAGE TURNER) have gone on to work solidly since, and well, but neither have come close to this level of performance since.
It’s a scintillating film, something to throw in the face of those who label art-house cinema as austere – this is a film dealing with serious subjects, difficult situations and deeply flawed, and failed, characters, and doing so with an enormous amount of skill and flair.
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