Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
Jérémie Renier | ... | Bruno | |
Déborah François | ... | Sonia | |
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Jérémie Segard | ... | Steve |
Fabrizio Rongione | ... | Jeune Bandit | |
Olivier Gourmet | ... | Policier en civil | |
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Anne Gerard | ... | Commerçante (as Anne Gérard) |
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Bernard Marbaix | ... | Commerçant |
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Jean-Claude Boniverd | ... | Le Policier en civil |
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Frédéric Bodson | ... | Bandit plus âgé |
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Marie-Rose Roland | ... | Une infirmière |
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Leon Michaux | ... | Policier Commissariat (as Léon Michaux) |
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Delphine Tomson | ... | La fille aux cheveux rouges |
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Stéphane Marsin | ... | Jeune Homme |
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Samuel De Ryck | ... | Thomas |
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François Olivier | ... | Remy |
Young, unmarried couple Sonia and Bruno have just had a son, who Sonia names Jimmy. Bruno, who did not visit her while she was in the hospital, scoffs at the notion of what he considers traditional employment, instead eking out a living primarily on petty crimes committed with his fourteen year old associate, Steve. He even sublets Sonia's small apartment while she is in the hospital, he sleeping either in the homeless shelter or squatting in what he calls his "shack" down by the river. On the day after Sonia gets out of the hospital, she allows Bruno to take Jimmy for a walk while she stands in line for her benefits. On that walk, Bruno makes the unilateral decision to sell Jimmy to a black market adoption agency. Upon finding out what Bruno has done, Sonia has a breakdown and falls unconscious. Fearing that Sonia will turn him over to the police when she regains consciousness, Bruno tries to get Jimmy back while he leaves Sonia in the hospital in her unconscious state. But Bruno ... Written by Huggo
I can't say that I'm a fan of the previous Dardennes' movies... Saw Rosetta and "Le fils" and... well... didn't really go INTO them as I would have liked... probably because of the way (at the time) they were filmed ... sort of "dogma inspired" way of filming... following the neck/back of the characters, moving all the time... that makes me sea-sick... That's a detail that can make you laugh but something that disturbs me a lot from the story and that must not be used all the time in a film I think...
To me, the film is first a love story between two young people, two kids in a way (more the guy than the girl) more than a social drama... a true one... but nevertheless standing in a social context that is obviously proposed from the first images, and that counts and is indissociable from the characters and what they live and are living in.
What I felt is a real empathy for those two young lovers... Their love, their strength - each one trying to find a future, a new future... with their own means... Through money, through surviving, through a baby... through tears and the rare basic things of life they know or have been taught of...
It's 1h35 you're watching a young man grow...
My great enthusiasm for the film is also because of the actors. Jeremie Renier and Deborah Francois... They shine, they tremble and they're so true... I will also add the young boy who play Steve.. The film wouldn't be as touching without them... Wonderful belgian actors !!! BEST wishes to you all, you deserve it ! (Little moment of chauvinism, sorry LOL... anyway...
This is a film I would recommend...