Review of Rosetta (1999) by Art S — 08 Feb 2014

This is a portrait of a teenager who has taken on far too much responsibility (because of an alcoholic mother and missing father) at the bottom of the socio-economic ladder in French-speaking Belgium. It's shot in the Dardennes' unique style, which involves a handheld camera held very close to the protagonist.

This creates a certain amount of suspense and/or anxiety - you can't see a lot of the context or even the people immediately surrounding Rosetta in some shots. Because Rosetta is tough, often running, fighting, stressing, the close camera on her back brings the viewer along for a hyper-kinetic visceral ride.

The viewer is also placed in a morally compromised position - you want to identify with Rosetta, particularly because you have sympathy for her plight, but she doesn't always act nicely or morally.

Perhaps this is explicable psychologically, or perhaps not. The film is open to interpretation - this gives it greater impact. I wonder, though, how many films the Dardennes can make in this vein - truly there are some great ones, but watching this early outing, I can see that there is some later retread.