Realism in the films of the Dardenne brothers: post-neorealism?

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Abstract

The recent films of Luc and Jean-Pierre Dardenne (La promesse, Rosetta, Le fils, L'enfant) gained large critical acclaim (and two Palmes d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival). The most frequently used epitheton to describe their style is 'realist' or even 'naturalist'. How much these films are considered as 'documentary' is proven by the youth unemployment plan that the Belgian government named after the film Rosetta. Critics often refer to Italian neorealism and the Danish Dogma Manifesto in an effort to pin down the brothers' specific approach. I think these references, though maybe partly correct- are too easily used. There is more to it. I try to prove that these films owe as much to the 'realism' of John Cassavetes' and Robert Bresson's oeuvre as to that of Rosselini (Stromboli) and the young Pasolini (Accattone): a carefully constructed representation of a historic/social reality. Using the aforementioned references, but also by analysing story structure, camera handling, editing, and the use of rhythm, I aim to reach a more complex and more carefully balanced appreciation of the work of Luc and Jean-Pierre Dardenne.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)216-224
Number of pages8
JournalExcavatio
VolumeXXII
Issue number1-2
Publication statusPublished - 2007

Keywords

  • Film studies
  • Belgian Film
  • Jean-Pierre & Luc Dardenne

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