Lorna's Silence [Import]

LORNA'S SILENCE is a film that very quietly grabs you by the throat and makes you pay attention to the stories of several emigrants that spin out of control. It is written and directed by Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne with an eye for verismo in the seamier side of the immigration problems.

The story is set in Belgium where Lorna (Arta Dobroshi) works at a dry cleaners then goes home to her 'husband' Claudy (Jérémie Renier), a junkie who has been duped by Lorna and her little crime gang of cab driver Fabio (Fabrizio Rongione) and her boyfriend Sokol (Alban Ukaj)into marrying Lorna so that the Albanian girl can gain Belgian citizenship. Claudy seems a hopeless case, in withdrawal for the umpteenth time but committed to getting off heroin. He pleads with his 'arranged wife' to help him with his attempt to get clean. Meanwhile Fabio has other plans: Lorna is to 'marry' a wealthy Russian mobster to gain Belgian citizenship (a second arranged marriage) and in order for the second marriage to occur, Lorna must consent to letting Claudy overdose on heroin and die, making her a widow eligible for marriage. The other side story is that Lorna, now a Belgian citizen, can proceed with Sokol to set up a snack shop with Sokol using all the money she gains from the 'marriage game'.

All is well until Claudy convinces Lorna to help him get to a hospital and get 'clean' and along the way Lorna's feelings for Claudy turn to compassion and passion. An incident occurs that throws all of the plans to the wind and Lorna is left with her secret and will hopefully manage to find a stable life without the crime influence.

The acting is first rate and the moody atmosphere created is spellbinding. This is a little film that has a lot to say about the plight of immigrants. Grady Harp, April 10

The Dardennes brother have made better movies (most notably Rosetta), but also think that it's a movie well worth watching. The acting is extremely good and the direction manages to be both strong and subtle. They've managed to make the movie primarily through the point of view of the main character, while keeping a kind of distance at the same time. (it's probably a bit confusing as an explanation, but it's so unusual in a way that you'd probably have to see the movie to get my point). As to whether you'll enjoy it or not, you'd rather be the type of person who enjoys the journey at least as much as the destination, or you'll likely be disappointed

Lorna's Silence is the latest from the writing-directing-sibling duo Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne. These Belgian brothers have a unique style--gritty, naturalistic, and focused on marginalized individuals struggling at the edges of today's "integrated" European society. But they also are a part of (and have influenced) a new wave of slow-burning, thought-provoking European cinema (the Austrian movie "Revanche" and the Romanian "Police, Adjective" spring to mind) that include thriller-like elements while allowing stories to unfold slowly, and rewarding patient viewing. Not surprisingly, these kinds of movies are not huge moneymakers in the blockbuster-oriented, subtitle-averse US market. Jeremie Renier who played a central role in the Dardennes' previous movie, the Palme d'Or-winning L' enfant, is a major character here, too. He's the junkie Claudy, whom Albanian-immigrant Lorna, played by Arta Dobroshi, has married in order to get the Belgian citizenship which will then pave the way for a bigger payday when she ends her first marriage and marries a wealthy Russian who's looking to set up in Belgium. The story is told from Lorna's perspective and Arta Dobroshi's breakthrough performance not only holds the whole movie together it also slowly reveals the psychological complexities of a character who is barely one rung above her supposedly disposable junkie husband on society's ladder. Despite her revolving door approach to arranged marriages, Lorna has a real boyfriend, Sokol, who is fully aware of the arrangements she's making with Fabio, the taxi-driver-mobster who is trying to make inroads with the Russians. Lorna and Sokol plan to use the money from Lorna's second marriage to open a snack bar. All along, the plan has been for Claudy to conveniently "overdose" to speed things along for all concerned. But when Claudy starts making the effort to get clean--and maybe join his wife-of-convenience on that higher societal rung--things get a bit more complicated for Lorna. It's tense, unpredictable and, without a soundtrack to soften the tension, quietly engrossing.