When the Dardenne brothers' vérité drama ROSETTA won the prestigious Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival (their first, later winning the Palme for THE CHILD in 2005), critics were shocked. The film, about the 17-year-old Belgian Rosetta, a poor young woman struggling to hold on to a job to support herself and her alcoholic mother, is starkly realistic and visually raw. (As Roger Ebert noted in his coverage of the win, “Variety's grudgingly positive review of ROSETTA categorized it as ‘an extremely small European art movie from Belgium.’ Not just European but Belgian.”) Do not be deceived by the seemingly simple film, which endures as a revelatory and affecting portrait of resilience, and exemplifies why the Dardenne brothers are two of Belgium's most revered filmmakers.
Presented free in partnership with Alliance Française de Chicago; tickets must be reserved online or at the box office for admittance. Join us for a post-screening reception from 5:00-6:00PM featuring waffles by Madame Muriel and Belgian beer courtesy Wallonie Bruxelles International.