****/**** Image A- Sound A- Extras B
starring Émilie Dequenne, Fabrizio Rongione, Olivier Gourmet, Anne Yernaux
written and directed by Luc & Jean-Pierre Dardenne
click any image to enlarge
by Bryant Frazer If there were any doubt that the Dardennes
discovered what would be their lasting aesthetic with La promesse, it
was dispelled in the opening moments of Rosetta. The earlier film spent a lot
of time following characters around, hovering behind them
as they made their way through their world. As Rosetta begins, we're
again in close to a character, but this time we have a velocity: The girl,
Rosetta (Emilie Dequenne), is storming from room to room in some kind of
industrial facility, and the Dardennes' camera is following her at speed. This isn't a virtuoso tracking shot out of Scorsese or P.T. Anderson, though; Rosetta
isn't accommodating the camera. When she exits a room, she slams the door
behind her and the camera is caught up short, forcing an edit. When she erupts
onto a factory floor, she ducks underneath the machinery, making her own
passageways where the camera cannot go, and again forcing a cut. We are not
welcome to follow.
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