This film by the Dardenne brothers (who just won the top award at the Cannes Film Festival for their latest work) is somewhat difficult to describe. It is a little bit creepy and it's suspenseful throughout. But even with that and the rather menacing way in which it is shot it's also a film that's filled with a great deal of heart. It's just not entirely clear what form the considerable emotional intensity felt by the characters will take.
In terms of plot, it involves a man who teaches carpentry to reform school boys. One day a new boy arrives. This arrival deeply disturbs the teacher. Over time we find out why. And then once we learn that the movie more or less entails waiting for the inevitable confrontation, and discovering how that will happen and what will result from it. In many ways this is a rather small film. The cast is tiny, and in fact it's shot in such a way that at first a viewer's vision of what's going on is tightly limited. But the creators of this film know what they are doing, and the way in which the movie is constructed adds a great deal to our understanding of the events and feelings on the screen.
I wouldn't say it's a great film, but it's an intriguing one.
Posted by armand at May 30, 2005 03:26 PM | TrackBack | Posted to Movies