L'enfant
Another Belgian Letdown
The story is about Bruno and Sonia, who have just had a baby boy. Well the girl had the boy, but dad wasn't around. The movie starts off with her looking for Bruno to show him his baby. Bruno is a thief and doesn't work. The story revolves around the two characters and the very 'special' baby.
I couldn't even finish watching this movie. I tried to finish it more than a few times, but I can't get over the fact that the characters and situation are so absolutely unbelievable. It's mostly the main character's fault, who makes no sense and is not believable as a real person, and then this is doubled so by the baby who I think has SIDS. You see, the whole major plot point of the movie is that Bruno decides to sell the baby for some cash. Why does he need cash? Because, despite showing him as having honor among thieves and a sense of organization to his thievery, he suddenly blows his remaining money which he owes to his junior partners in crime on a jacket, a car rental and a baby stroller. I guess Bruno has the sense and foresight to see that walking around with a baby is tiresome and that they'll need a stroller and car, but he doesn't have the foresight to use a fucking condom in the first place. So anyways, Bruno owes two little kids money. So the obvious decision... is to sell his baby? Why of course! Bruno doesn't ever have to deal with the baby, they don't really make him take care of baby things, so he doesn't have any reason to resent it or even feel the pressure of parenthood, but let's just ignore the total lack of reason for his action and go along with the plot! Perfect. So he sells the baby, and then tells his girlfriend. She faints and is upset! For some reason, Bruno is not expecting this.
Bruno is your main character, he gets beat up and he's your focal point, so don't you think you should have the audience give a fuck about what happens to him? I certainly don't. He's contrived and unbelievable. His decisions are random and they have no logic to them. He buys a stroller for the baby, but then sells the baby? Does he care or not? Make up your god damned mind.
So now he has to go get the baby back, which he does, but now he owes.. the adoption mafia as they seem to be a bunch of money. This is about where I gave up. I just couldn't suspend disbelief any longer. The plot and characters are a joke. Sonia at least feels real, but Bruno is just not a real person.
And the baby? The baby that gets dragged and thrown around this belgian town for the whole movie.. doesn't even cry. It hardly says a thing. I don't remember it being fed or it having it's diaper changed. I think Bruno shakes the baby early in the movie and it gives it the SIDS and nobody wants to acknowledge it. If THAT was the point of the movie, then it would be funny. Think, these mafia guys paid 5 grand for a dead baby and dad has to pay 10 grand to get it back. Hell, I'd watch that! Paying 10k for a dead baby is more believable than the actal movie.
The good parts of the movie? Well it's a film by the Dardenne Brothers, which means documentary style handcams. It's not that bad though and if the characters were as real as the film looks then it would work. The acting is good as well, despite it all. There is no soundtrack and I think that was a good choice. That's about where the good ends.
By the way, this won the Palm D'or at Cannes somehow. Someone explain that.
first edit: ugh shouldn't make threads with a low blood sugar.
