18 out of 24 people found the following review helpful:

Gritty, Bleak, Depressive ? Surely this can?t be a Belgian film??..

Clucky from Cardiff, Wales, 10th August, 2004

A father and son are involved in a people smuggling ring and are essentially using the immigrants for slave labour at their building site. Things seem to be working out for the pair until one of the African workers falls at work and they have to cover up his death. However, the boy makes a promise to the dying man that he will look after his wife and child, much to the growing annoyance of his abusive father.

The cinematography effectively conveys the desperate situation that the immigrants find themselves in, with the screen constantly soaked in a depressive winter blue tone. The acting is fine but a little rough in places and the story is well structured but I was never really convinced about the sudden moral integrity of the young boy. The film did seem to carry a certain religious undertone of sin and redemption, not sure whether this was intentional or not, but the overall tone was not patronising.

Overall this is a decent European film which treats the issue of illegal immigration in a more stark, down-to-earth way than the sugar coated Dirty Pretty Things.
A solid 3 and a half out of 5

Subtitles ? Clear and can be easily read
Extras - Trailer

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3 out of 3 people found the following review helpful:

if you like james Bond, don't bother

lasseviren from from Bristol, 17th November, 2006

What a wonderful surprise! Every now and again, you come across something fresh and new. I suppose this would be called realistic cinema, with its tale of down at heel people struggling in a Belgian backwater of unemployment and social problems. This spectacular result of the Dardenne brothers' desire to let the story do the talking is so good that it even makes Ken Loach seem preachy and overdone.

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3 out of 3 people found the following review helpful:

Does more than it says on the Tin

AnotherNightIn from Merseyside, 13th October, 2004

First things first - this 'Rosetta Disc 2' is in fact a feature film all on it's own - 'La Promesse' was made before 'Rosetta' and therefore included here as an 'extra' although for me it rivals it as a film in it's own right.

A gritty and powerful story of a boy's attempts to right the wrongs of his Dad. The film also presents a desperate insight into the situation faced by illegal immigrants. Perhaps the most accessible of The Dardenne bothers three recent features.

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1 out of 1 people found the following review helpful:

Now, shall I finish that tattoo?

Chester Dent from London, England, 23rd November, 2006

A biting crisis of conscience afflicts a teenage boy in the Dardenne's sombre morality tale which also concerns the plight of illegal immigrants. The shakey hand-held camera approach and spontaneous acting are fairly successful in presenting a documentary style insight into the treatment of the dispossessed and exploited in the West but I didn't fully experience the anguish suffered by 15 year-old Igor, although it is a decent performance from Jeremie Renier. An impressive film which just doesn't go deep enough in exploring the uglier side of the human condition and how we treat each other nor the ordeal felt when challenged by such an agonizing moral dilemma at such a young age.

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dull

A Customer from Egham, 21st September, 2008

dull,dull,dull it never gets going and you feel no compassion for any of the losers in it!

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Grim viewing but worthwhile

A Customer from Bristol, 17th August, 2007

This film set against the industrial debris of urban Belgium and illustrating the plight of illegal immigrants is not easy viewing. Despite this the subject matter makes it rewarding to watch. The amoral rather than immoral character of Roger, Igor's father, is played with such naturalistic conviction that the part is almost lived rather than acted. The character of streetwise teenager Igor is shown to move away from the strong bond with his father when he cannot agree with the secret disposal of the body of an immigrant killed in an accident. This is perhaps not totally convincing but this is perhaps the fault of the plotline rather than the acting ability. Not escapist entertainment but certainly worth watching.

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