ROSETTA

Winner of the Golden Palm Award at the 1999 Cannes Film Festival, ROSETTA is a heartbreaking story of despair and desperation. Rosetta (Emilie Dequinne) is a 17-year-old girl of Italian descent who lives in a run-down trailer park in Belgium. Living with her alcoholic mother, Rosetta wants more than anything else to have a job. As the story opens, she is being laid off from her job at a lab but tries desperately to stay in the city. Through meeting Riquet (Fabrizio Rongione), a young Belgium man who sells waffles, Rosetta lands a job in a kitchen. However, in a few days the boss must let her go because his lazy son needs a job. Rosetta is beside herself, and the audience learns what she is willing to do to keep her job.

Having had to take responsibility early on in life and witnessing the poverty and hopelessness of the life she has come to know, Rosetta has built a tough hard shell to protect herself. She is isolated with no friends and has become detached from all feelings. Her driving need to find and keep a job represents a normal life to Rosetta and a way to get out of her rut. Where does this obsession with finding a job that will allow her to fit in and be accepted by society lead Rosetta?

Rosetta is definitely “a slice of real life” that brings up several spiritual and moral questions but for many will be a tough morsel to swallow. This movie goes at a very slow pace, allowing the audience to feel the hopelessness and emptiness of the life Rosetta must lead. One feels emotionally drained leaving the theater.

The directors, writers and producers of ROSETTA, Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne have produced five feature films and over 60 documentaries and are known for their recent film LA PROMESSE (THE PROMISE). Emilie Dequenne shared the Best Actress Award at the 1999 Cannes Film Festival for her portrayal of Rosetta. She gives a solid performance in her first feature film.

Containing adult themes, this movie is appropriate for mature adults who are not looking to be entertained. ROSETTA forces one to consider Rosetta’s life and the choices she makes. A girl who has learned to survive and trust no one, Rosetta finds herself ready to kill in order to survive. Because of the way the film ends, one is left completely up in the air as to Rosetta’s future. After the energy the audience must muster to survive the movie, it is disappointing there isn’t a stronger ending with a positive message of hope.