Le silence de Lorna

The titular heroine of the Dardenne brothers latest movie is Lorna, a recent immigrant to Belgium who spends her days earning paychecks from a dry-cleaners while earning more substantial money by selling herself off as a bride to a Russian man looking to immigrate to Belgium himself. Before she can marry the Russian however, Lorna must obtain a divorce from her current husband, Claudy, a broken-down, pathetic, drug-addict who only married Lorna in order to obtain the cash to fund his habit.

The relationship between the young couple is complicated. Lorna, with a boyfriend back home and another potential husband eager to obtain Belgian citizenship waiting in the wings, has no romantic attachment to Claudy. Early scenes show her disgust and impatience for her lazy, feeble husband who does little more then shoot-up, play cards and follow her around like a puppy-dog. Nevertheless she can't help but feel sympathy towards the man she is using solely to obtain her citizenship. Claudy's feelings are equally muddled. He is aware that Lorna is using him and yet is devastated when she talks about divorce. He plays on his weaknesses to illicit Lorna's sympathy and then plagues her with childish demands. Their relationship, masterfully played out by Arta Dobroshi and returning Dardenne brother favourite Jérémie Renier, is utterly, intensely fascinating. They're both the victims and the aggressors in their relationship and who you root for and who you find repulsive flips frequently from scene to scene.

But the movie isn't focused on the relationship between Claudy and Lorna. As Lorna struggles to earn her money quickly she is forced to choose between protecting Claudy, whose desire to kick his drug-habit is problematic for her divorce proceedings, and her desire to protect her own small dream of owning a café with her long-distance boyfriend. Her optimism and strength are quickly torn apart when the man responsible for arranging both her marriages quickly yanks her down to reality by reminding her that she is little more then a pawn for people who want to cheat the system. The movie falls apart in the final third, the twists and turns a bit ridiculous given the slow, yet gripping, pace of the previous sections. And yet the movie is still compelling, quietly questioning a system in which people must go to such violent lengths in order to obtain simple and innocent desires.

The lack of music, gritty cinematography and superb acting all lend itself to the feelings of realism that pervade the film. The Dardenne brothers make us believe in Lorna's plight, her struggle between what she feels morally is right and the silence that will enable her to live out her dream.

To see the movement in this film , you become a part of it's pace. It's smoky cold feel of the spaces explored in this film allows you to immerse yourself into the the whole international thing. Being an American I tend to love the patience taken in these French films. They are woven and character developments take more value than just a get to the point story with a predictable ending. As usual in French movies, symbolism takes precedence over story. Still, reality is quite evident in the grim concepts displayed. Being of first generation immigrants,I can identify with the premise and the desperation involved. The lead character is brilliant in the way she gives less yet give so much in her subtle expressions. The direction is superb and the storyline leaves you wanting more. Many directors with this consistent success may often relax in their past laurels but the careful development of the pace of this murky tale is quite endearing.I would strongly recommend this movie for those who are plain cinema lovers.

An exceptional performance by Arta Dobroshi who plays Lorna. It is a story that is difficult to forget although it is not Dardenne's best work but it comes very close. Lorna's character develops during her husband's attempt to stop using heroin snd she starts to become invested in his recovery. She becomes increasingly uncomfortable with the fate her Albanian boyfriend and the gang boss have decided he should have in order for Lorna to divorce him and remarry for money. But, Lorna's humanity intervenes and gets in the way of the plans made a while back and it threatens her own life. Will she pull through?

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

The Belgian film "Le silence de Lorna" was shown with the title "Lorna's Silence" (2008) in the U.S. The movie is co-written and co-directed by the brothers Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne.

The protagonist, Lorna, who is from Albania, has made a pact with the devil. It involves her marriage of convenience to a Belgian citizen, so that she can become a Belgian citizen. Once she becomes a citizen, the plan is to remove her husband. Then, in another marriage of convenience, Lorna, as a widow, can marry a Russian who in turn will become a Belgian citizen. Lorna wants to become a citizen so that she can obtain a loan to open a snack shop in Belgium. She wants the cash for startup money.

The plot is crafted by a Belgian cabdriver, who has no compunction about doing whatever it takes to move up in the gangster world. If Lorna's husband, a drug addict, has to be eliminated, that's not a problem.

So, everyone has dreams--of cash, of a snack shop, of citizenship, of underworld advancement.

The problem is that the drug addict, Claudy, is obviously in love with Lorna, and he's desperately trying to stay clean. Lorna has sympathy for this needy, suffering young man, and she'd like to adjust the pact with the devil to somehow spare him. However, what she learns is that the devil doesn't like people who want to change the pact.

Arta Dobroshi, as Lorna is, indeed, from the Balkans. (So, it's not a stretch for French speakers to accept her authentic accent.) Ms. Dobroshi is a superb actor, and gives a brilliant performance as a woman who is basically decent, but finds herself in a less-than-decent situation.

Jérémie Renier is excellent as her husband, Claudy. My wife and I admired his work before in another Dardenne brothers film--"La Promesse." It's really easy for Claudy to slip back into addiction, and it's really hard to stay clean, but he can do it if Lorna helps him.

The Dardenne brothers specialize in films where bad things happen, often to good people. The curator who introduced the film said that the Dardenes specialize in films that offer no hope, but I don't fully agree. They specialize in hard films where tragedy is never far away, but the films do hold out hope for redemption. This is not always enough, but it's better than nothing.

We saw the film on the large screen at the excellent Dryden Theatre in George Eastman House in Rochester. However, it should work well on DVD.