Humanity and the Dardenne Brothers

The Dardenne Brothers’ Rosetta and short film Dans l’Obscurite are both reminiscent of typical Dardenne style. As mentioned by Professor Masse, the camera movement is the most obvious similarity between the two films. The most striking thing that I noticed while watching Dans l’Obscurite was the presence of Emilie Dequenne in both Rosetta and Dans l’Obscurite. Her presence immediately helped me to feel connected to Dans l’Obscurite because I literally found the character of Rosetta in the short film. This choice by the Dardennes made the film remind me of Rosetta because, in a way, I felt that the crying woman was Rosetta. Though her character is much fiercer than the crying woman in the short film, I felt that the two were kindred spirits, that the crying woman was Rosetta in her most vulnerable, humane state.
What I noticed the most about the short film in relation to Rosetta was the sense of quiet desperation that I felt while watching the boy try to steal from the crying woman. In a parallel sense, there is a desperation in Dequenne’s character too. She is crying and disturbed by what she is seeing in the film, but I think that there is a disturbing feeling about what is happening with the young boy. I believe that she knows he is there from the beginning, and that she reaches out to him in an act of kindness, as though the idea of holding his hand and kissing it will change him forever. This gentle act reminds me of the age old story of a woman suckling a starving baby because the mother cannot produce milk; an act of generosity because it is the purest human emotion that is felt. At the end of the day, this moment is not only wholly humane and kind, but it is the only thing that matters, the act of humanity and affection.
While I don’t believe that this exact action is replicated in Rosetta, the mood and theme of the action is represented wholly throughout the movie. The characters are starved of the random acts of human kindness, but ultimately, there is a connection. Each character has a vibe of hopelessness that the characters in the short film have as well. There is a sense of community that I feel in both of these films. The sense of community, however, is not represented by a tangible support for the other citizens. Instead, I find the ‘group aspect’ in a way that I can only describe as ‘mutual depression,’ meaning that these characters are so disdainful of their environments that they rebel against society and hate each other in a way that actually binds them, because this anger is so strong that it connects everyone together. Each is so hurt that they cling to each other, not out of want, but out of necessity. There is a way in which these characters interact which convinces me that they are intertwined in each others’ lives without even consenting to such a connection.