Bruno and Sonia, a young couple living off her
benefit and the thefts committed by his gang, have a new source of
money: their newborn son.
Review :
I had the fortune to go see this at its Belgian premiere, which was
attended by the main, and stunningly beautiful female actress, Déborah
François. I found myself to be interested in the story from the start.
The beginning of the film starts very simply, a young mother with a
new-born baby searching on the street for what the audience presumes at
the time, and is later verified to be the father of her child. The
storyline then develops more as a sketch of the day-to-day living at the
bottom of Belgian society. Though despite the fact a grim picture of
the central couple's living situation is presented, the film-maker has
not crossed the line and has interlaced many light-hearted moments into
the movie.
The story develops as Bruno, the baby's father, is
quickly shown to have no real interest in the baby or fatherhood, just
in making money. He also is portrayed to have a genuine love for Sonya.
In this sense the audience follows Brunos life, knowing not whether to
cheer him or pray for his downfall, after he makes several questionable
choices about the fate of his baby.
I recommend this film to
anyone who enjoys a simple film without Hollywood special effects,
planned cinematography or any sort of soundtrack. I can see its appeal,
but personally I came away wondering what exactly the director was
trying to prove by making this film. He did succeed,however, to provide a
somewhat entertaining, if slightly heavy film. The cast are excellent.