User reviews

I had the fortune to go see this at its Belgian premiere, which was attended by the main, and stunningly beautiful female actress, Déborah François. I found myself to be interested in the story from the start. The beginning of the film starts very simply, a young mother with a new-born baby searching on the street for what the audience presumes at the time, and is later verified to be the father of her child. The storyline then develops more as a sketch of the day-to-day living at the bottom of Belgian society. Though despite the fact a grim picture of the central couple's living situation is presented, the film-maker has not crossed the line and has interlaced many light-hearted moments into the movie.

The story develops as Bruno, the baby's father, is quickly shown to have no real interest in the baby or fatherhood, just in making money. He also is portrayed to have a genuine love for Sonya. In this sense the audience follows Brunos life, knowing not whether to cheer him or pray for his downfall, after he makes several questionable choices about the fate of his baby.

I recommend this film to anyone who enjoys a simple film without Hollywood special effects, planned cinematography or any sort of soundtrack. I can see its appeal, but personally I came away wondering what exactly the director was trying to prove by making this film. He did succeed,however, to provide a somewhat entertaining, if slightly heavy film. The cast are excellent.

L'Infant is extraordinary surprising. I never had seen a Belgian movie so I was very curious about this when I was in the theater.

The script is about 2 young youths that aren't yet mature already carrying the burden of taking care of their own baby. Unemployed, without any good prospect of a real future, school droppers and not having reached maturity, they went on living just for the moment. The father is just a young, dull and irresponsible teenager that lives thru schemes and small petty crimes. The mother, looking as a 12 years old girl, thrives to support the child and don't discourage the way of living of her "husband", seen by her as fair and needed to aid their life.

The film focuses also on the illegal and dark commerce of adoption and selling of children, which is by the way what the boy will do to gain a load of money...

The movie then runs to decadence, regret, awareness of childish mistakes and bad options that, without surprise, would lead to an expected nightmare... jail.

Great acting, fair dialog(Due to the content of the story) and a voyage to the sorrow for the misfortunes of these 2 child-parents.

Earlier this evening, I was attending the premiere of "L'Enfant" in Belgian theaters.

"L'Enfant" shows us a socio-drama, with a story located in the southern region of Belgium, in a city called Seraing, where most movies of the Dardenne brothers are situated.

I will not go into any plot summaries, but let me make a comparison with other directors, so you might get a clue if you'd like to watch this movie or not. Socio-drama is a genre in film not only made in Belgium. Many great directors have made solid socio-drama's: Aki Kaurismaki, Ken Loach, Mike Leigh and many others.

Where you can find a twist of humor in Kaurismaki's movies, you'll have a hard time finding it in "L'Enfant". A high level of realism avoids any dramatization of the struggle-for-life the protagonists experience. This makes it for the viewer not easier to swallow. The absence of a soundtrack even increases this effect.

This movie has many strong points, and although I haven't seen many of the other films who were competing with "L'Enfant" at the Cannes film festival 2005, I think this film has fairly won the Palme d'Or because it scores very high on the essential aspects of film-making: acting, camera-work (see comment by Toon Creemers) and script (dialogues).

I highly recommend this movie, but don't expect to be visually entertained the way we are used to by big budget films from Hollywood. Movies like these don't need a lot of dialogue, fancy one-liners or historical quotes - the picture says it all, in a simple but effective way.

Enjoy,

The Dardennes, who won their second Palme d"Or at Cannes this year with "L'Enfant" (The Child), describe it as "a love story that is also the story of a father." Twenty-year-old Bruno (Jérémie Renier) is a petty thief and scam artist in Seraing, an east Belgian steel town, who lives off his girlfriend's welfare and impulsively spends whatever he steals. When eighteen-year-old Sonia (Déborah François) returns after the birth of their son Jimmy, Bruno's far worse than merely unready to accept the responsibility of fatherhood. Unbeknownst to Sonia, he decides to sell the baby on the black market. The film is about what happens following this grotesquely ill-advised decision. Who is really the "child" here? Well, clearly the story is about Bruno.

"L'Enfant" is urgent with movement and has little talk. As with the 1996 "La promesse" (The Promise, 1996), where Jérémie Renier debuted, "Rosetta" (1999), and "Le Fils" (The Son, 2003), the action is ceaseless and obsessive and seems almost real-time. But the Dardennes make every minute count. In those rare moments when the hyper-kinetic Bruno is momentarily still and the camera looks into his face, there's a strong sense of the doubt that will lead to his transformation. When Bruno tells Sonia "I'm sorry," or "I need you" and "I love you" the words carry weight because he doesn't normally ever say such things. But Sonia says, "You lie as you breathe." "L'Enfant" is as powerful and accomplished as anything the Dardennes have done, and as thought-provoking.

Dramatic, realistic, proposing honest portrait of an age, generation, near reality. A film about parenthood. Bitter, cold, well made. And about the build of responsability. All - gived in wise manner. With admirable force. A father. His son. A decision. And the transformation. And the price of option.

L'infant belongs to Sophie and Bruno, both feckless, petty criminals, in a seedy Belgian city. She has just come out of prison (?)with the newborn. She goes to their apartment but finds that Bruno has sublet the place to a bilious couple, so she has to track Bruno down at work trying to cadge small change from passers by. He is pleased to see her but diffident towards his son: Jimmy.

They spend the night in a shelter, or rather she does, as he cuts his time short to fence his stolen goods to a woman who drops a hint that if they're not up to raising a child they could adopt it out for a good price.

After showing us how they can only seem to communicate through adolescent rough housing, we are left with the distinct impression that they are too immature for parenthood. A few days later, while they wait in line, Bruno offers to walk the baby. He then sells it to a baby selling gang, and returns to show Sophie the wad of cash. Sophie passes out from shock.

We see not one wit of shame or guilt from Bruno up to this point. He is, we presume, an amoral street thug, out for how to make the next buck, and found the baby to good an opportunity to pass up for a sizable reward. Besides, given the empty life the baby will be looking forward to, the adoption by a better off couple doesn't seem to be bad for the child.

Sophie passing out seems to bring him to his senses. Is he remorseful? Does he love her? Up to this point all we have seen of their relationship is one of two vapid adolescent children, with no hint of any plans to make a future for their off-spring.

He carries her to a hospital and starts calling his go between to have the deal undone. At this point his motivation is left deliberately unclear. Is he doing so because he regrets his actions and needs to make it up to Sophie, or is he doing it because her accusations are over heard by the staff and the police will soon be carting him off to jail? In any event he manages to get the child back, giving up the E5,000 without a whimper, but then faces the angry brokers who are now out their E5,000. When he returns to the hospital with the baby the police are there and he makes up the story that he was just pretending to sell the child as revenge for her infidelity, and then calmly disowns the child as his.

Sophie refuses to talk with him and the police have to back off, and at this point in the movie we are no clearer to discerning any hint of empathy stirring in Bruno's pock marked face. I felt sorry for Sophie in her realization that her lover is as calloused as his feet, but presumed she would soon allow him back into her life. Yet as morally revolted as I was by Bruno, I still wanted to see if he could manage some kind of redemption.

The movie ends in leaving us to answer that question ourselves.

The crux of the movie is Bruno's character, or lack of it. He is no sociopath; he is not evil; his bland personality is as banal and unattractive as cold soup. He seems to not be dangerous, until faced with too much temptation to his greed. Yet he is difficult to hate. He is like that black sheep relative we all have and shake our heads about, so that we can whistle past the graveyard of our own inadequacies. He is what humanity can become when the spirit slumbers. He is society's unwitting sin eater.

I can't say that I'm a fan of the previous Dardennes' movies... Saw Rosetta and "Le fils" and... well... didn't really go INTO them as I would have liked... probably because of the way (at the time) they were filmed ... sort of "dogma inspired" way of filming... following the neck/back of the characters, moving all the time... that makes me sea-sick... That's a detail that can make you laugh but something that disturbs me a lot from the story and that must not be used all the time in a film I think...

To me, the film is first a love story between two young people, two kids in a way (more the guy than the girl) more than a social drama... a true one... but nevertheless standing in a social context that is obviously proposed from the first images, and that counts and is indissociable from the characters and what they live and are living in.

What I felt is a real empathy for those two young lovers... Their love, their strength - each one trying to find a future, a new future... with their own means... Through money, through surviving, through a baby... through tears and the rare basic things of life they know or have been taught of...

It's 1h35 you're watching a young man grow...

My great enthusiasm for the film is also because of the actors. Jeremie Renier and Deborah Francois... They shine, they tremble and they're so true... I will also add the young boy who play Steve.. The film wouldn't be as touching without them... Wonderful belgian actors !!! BEST wishes to you all, you deserve it ! (Little moment of chauvinism, sorry LOL... anyway...

This is a film I would recommend...

firstly you have to know that i am sixteen years old and i am from Argentina so, forgive me for my poor English.

i am a lover of Cannes cinema,and this movie showed me that i am not wrong. It is so real and crude that you suffer with the characters. Seeing Bruno walking in the lonely streets is when i take notice of what kind of movie i was watching. Not a very good movie otherwise a masterpiece that combines love, reality, suspense,and forgiveness.

You will believe that Bruno is a real person,who was followed by a camera in his "adventures" Watch L'infant if you want to see a class of how to turn a simple story into a crude and impacting film. A film where mistakes, love, forgiveness anb redemption are together to demonstrate what great directors and gifted actors can create.

This Belge film from 2005 won the Palme D'or in Cannes and was nominated for 4 Césars, so I was anxious to see if it were really that good. Talk about messed up lives. Sonia comes home from the hospital with her newborn, to find that her petty thief boyfriend Bruno has rented out her apartment to a couple as a sex getaway while she was giving birth. She can't move back in until their lease expires in a couple more days. She goes to find him, excited to back with him, but unfortunately she interrupts a purse snatching planned by Bruno so he has no money. She lets Bruno watch the baby for a few minutes while she runs an errand, he calls a contact and sells the baby for about 5000 euros. When she comes back and he tells her what happened, she passes out and ends up in the hospital. Bruno realizes she's not going to just let this go, so goes about trying to get the baby back.

The inexperienced actors and the true-to-life dialogue made this movie strong. Other than the fact that Sonia could run pretty fast, considering the birth was a week earlier, it was realistic, open and engaging. To realize that there are those who really are so stupid and opportunistic in the world makes it more astounding. Luckily for each other, they begin to mature towards the end of the film. We are allowed to see into a slice of life, served up unembellished and it draws you in.

This movie is like crème fraiche. It has a slight sourness and acidity to it, but that makes it all the more appetizing and delicious. The texture is perfect for toast or fruit, yet it is natural, clean tasting and subtle. 7/10

Okay, so I'm an American living in the French part of Belgium where this film takes place. My French isn't so great yet, but I had my wife (aka translator) with me to fill me in on things maybe I couldn't follow. Luckily for me there wasn't a ton of dialog so it was quite simple to follow. That's the thing about this film, it's really simple. Sure it's an interesting story that needs to be told but it's not incredibly insightful or arresting. Being a young-ish father myself I never really believed this young couple were parents. The child was a prop. They made it look too easy. It's not really a film about L'Infant (the child), it's really about two selfish young lovers and this thing wrapped in a blanket. Sure, I believe this young woman's going to desire sex with her man the day she returns from the hospital with her new baby. I'm not buying that reality, either is my wife. Sure these people exist, but this wasn't very compelling story telling. I found ROSETTA much more powerful. And this isn't just the dumb American's opinion, my fellow audience members seemed unimpressed as well. Maybe if the film hadn't won the Palme D'or I could give the film some slack. Hey, I love Belgium and Belgians...my wife is one...I highly recommend the country and the people and the idea of these people winning awards, but not this film. Certainly not bad, but not great.

Although I have not seen all other Cannes' comp. films, I think this is a worthy winner of the Palm d'or. The film's scenery is gray Seraing, like the previous Dardenne films, and I think this is the first film in which the camera-work complements the scenery and story near perfectly. Scene's often contain only one or two shots, cutting right when everything has been said. Its one of the few films where I did not notice the camera (I'm a student cameraman), which should be the goal of every cameraman, at least in this style of film. The acting is very impressive (especially Jeremie Renier as Bruno), like previous Dardenne Films. The film seems the most accessible Dardenne so far, although it does not bore in simplicity (I saw it twice in one week, avant-premiere and sneak preview, and I liked the second time best).

While most movies have become formatted and soulless products that get ruthlessly promoted and marketed or else are tedious and insufferable exercises in navel-gazing, only seldom does one come across a genuine work of art, a moving expression of the human mind. This film is the jewel in the crown of the Dardenne brothers and the towering achievement of their artistic endeavour. Bruno and Sonia are the main characters in this movie. They have a kid, he sells it (no spoiler, you get as much from the trailer), she... Find for yourself what happens next. The movie is fast-paced, it'll hit you like a punch in the stomach. It's very basic : love, betrayal, money, a redemption of sorts and cellphones or GSMs as they are called in Belgium. The actors are wonderful. Bruno is raw, forceful and energetic, a bit like a child, whereas Sonia's character makes for one of the best female parts I have seen as far as I can recall, a far cry from the usual dull and stereotypical fare that is dished out these days in movie theatres. The film will make you regain some hope in the power and strength of movies as works of art. Go see it.

Bruno (Jérémie Renier, magnificent) and Sonia (Déborah François, who reminds me of a younger Julie Delpy) are immature, teen lovers. They live on the streets of Seraing, Belgium, getting money from Bruno's gang's petty crimes. Sonia gives birth to a baby boy, Jimmy, but Bruno is totally indifferent. He sells his newborn son without Sonia's consent, and she has a nervous breakdown when he tells her what he did. Bruno then goes against all odds to get Jimmy back, but it won't be an easy ride.

"L'Enfant" is a beautiful, raw poetry about children who haven't grown up, and have their own kids without even knowing how to care of themselves. This is a film of silences, gestures that say more than a thousand words. "L'Enfant" is the first film by Luc and Jean-Pierre Dardenne that I've had the opportunity to watch, and I couldn't be more satisfied. After reading great things about some of his other films - "La Promesse" (1996), "Rosetta" (Golden Palm at Cannes 1999), "Le Fils" (2002, Olivier Gourmet was awarded Best Actor at Cannes) -; now I understand why they're considered some of the most talented names making films nowadays. Their honesty and strength to tell this poignant story, which could easily become an absurd melodrama, is mindblowing. "L'Enfant" gave the Dardenne brothers a second Golden Palm at Cannes, and hopefully the pompous award will make more people curious to check this work of art. Nothing is as simple as it seems, and as we get into the nightmarish world of Bruno, we see he's not only an immature, cruel lad who sold his own kid, but someone who hasn't even begun to live.

Sad and remarkable, "L'Enfant" has some similarities with Hector Babenco's classic "Pixote - A Lei do Mais Fraco" (1981) and is certainly one of the year's best. 10 out of 10.

L'Infant (The child), the new Dardenne movie, awarded with two Palms D' Or, is located in Seraing, the probably most marginal city of Belgium. A superb Jérémie Renier plays Bruno, an unemployed father, living from day to day to survive. He robs people and does not seem to have any remorse about what he 's doing. He even goes as far that he sells Jimmy, the baby (l'enfant). The reaction of the mother, a great Déborah François, makes him think and he tries to make it up to her. So far the story, this is a typical Dardenne movie. Same style, same sort of filming, not even music. Just hard reality, that's what they wanted to show the audience. What we get is a raw, sober movie. I did not miss the music at all, but it still misses something. The film does not absorb your full attention, like lots of people say. 'Lilja 4-ever', a Lukas Moodysson socio-drama, is way more touching than these characters in L'Infant. Not the greatest Belgian movie ever, but an enjoyable one. 8,5/10

This slice of life from the bottom of the barrel of French youth, focuses on two desperate new parents and the struggles each goes through to adjust to the new reality. Immediately we realize that something is not right with the husband of this child, as he remains unemotional and detached when he is shown his newborn son. When his dire situation causes him to selfishly commandeer the child for his own greed, it causes the primary rift between the two main characters and begins to usher the viewer into this emotionally complex, but simply and dogmatically told film. The Dardenne brothers manage to keep the drama as subtly realistic as possible, but do fall through some lulls in their objective tone. The much despised male lead, while hard pressed for an empathetic response, does elicit the cathartic pain that his low-lifestyle helps define and hopefully transcend, in the film's understated, emotional conclusion. I suppose the level of interest one has for this character's plight will help define how this movie affects one individually, and while perhaps not the revelation that some see in it, L' Infant should nonetheless take viewers deep inside this pocket of reality where hope is something that comes and goes in tiny little handouts and can only be sustained through the acknowledgment of our loved ones and the establishment of a family foundation.

L'Infant is the deserving winner of several awards, including the prestigious Palm d'Or at Cannes. The directors manage to achieve an engrossing simple, and tragic story which weaves several coming-of-age themes together without sacrificing a second of realism. Although the two leads are equally important to the development of the film, the action follows Bruno (Jeremie Reinier), a troubled, unstable, young man who lives at the fringes of society stealing and fencing with the help of a couple of young kids. Before the action of the film begins, Sonja (Deborah Francois), a young working class girl trying to make a life for herself, has fallen in love with Bruno and had a son with him. In the first few minutes of the film, she is carrying the infant through the streets of Seraing searching for Bruno, whose only method of contact, his cell phone, has run out of credit. When the couple are united, Bruno seems cheery and hopeful, but it is his love for Sonja that we are seeing here, and this love, though genuine, is the immature love of a man whose emotional growth has been stunted by the choices he habitually makes. Throughout most of the rest of the film, we are privy to several examples of these choices, and Bruno is placed in a position where he must either lose all hope and self-respect or commit himself to recognize his own responsibility (i.e. grow up), while the immediate prospects of doing either are unpleasant.

The film explores a number of important issues very sympathetically and yet with merciless realism. The film does not even distract its audience with a soundtrack. What is being said in the film is too important to waste on mere entertainment. L'infant is politically libertarian - emphasizing the importance of taking responsibility for one's actions. Attached to this painfully examined central theme are more familiar and obvious issues of adulthood, morality, love, romance, fatherhood, and survival.

The directing and script are flawless. The acting is superb - especially the two leads. You will instantly fall in love with Sonja, and as despicable as he is, it is hard to avoid feeling the same for Jeremie. And these two young actors accomplish this without a soundtrack, excessive editing, or a lot of fancy camera work. Bravo! As art, L'Infant is as straight-forward as you can get. It is unpretentiously filmed in a documentary style, with the camera sometimes getting uncomfortably close to the action in order to highlight the emotional impact of the performances. The camera work is subtle and excellent, but, unlike some of the reviewers, I was aware of the presence of the camera at times. Considering the claustrophobic interior sets, the lack of any form of distraction from the central plot and the hyper-realism of the film, it would be pretty difficult to avoid this completely.

As many others have said, this is an art film. However, its pace is consistent enough and its cinematography subtle enough to make it accessible for standard film audiences. This might be a good way to introduce an open-minded friend to true independent (as opposed to "Indie") and non-Hollywood film.

Bruno is a hustler petty thief stealing with teen boy Steve. He owes money to violent thugs. His girlfriend Sonia just has newborn Jimmy. They adore each other. He's approached by underground adoption lady. When she leaves Jimmy alone with him, he decides to sell the baby. She's horrified and passes out. He brings her to the hospital and quickly retrieves Jimmy. Sonia recovers and is furious at him.

The style is long quiet takes. The characters aren't always doing something. Déborah François is great as Sonia. The problem is that Jérémie Renier is so lackluster. His acting is very blank for the most part. The best compliment I can say about him is that he doesn't look like he's acting. There is one great section when Sonia returns to the apartment with Jimmy. It has almost no tension for long stretches and a couple of great scenes.

I am a fan of the frères Dardenne, so I went to see L'Infant hoping to have another wonderful time at the movies, especially since it had won the Palme d'Or at Cannes. Well, forget it. Been there, done that. This film brings absolutely nothing new to the Dardenne's style or subject matter. It was less original than Le Fils and certainly less gripping than La Promesse (my favourite). The only thing I would like to add here is a comment about the title. I think most people have missed the point. Most people feel that the "child" being mentioned here is the baby. I would tend to think that the real "child" in this film is the father, Bruno, who is totally incapable of being a father in any but the biological sense. In fact, almost all of his actions are those of a self-centred child - until he finally takes responsibility for his actions near the end of the film. Unfortunately, the film seems to wander around trying to find meaning as much as its main character. Better luck next time.