254) Lorna's Silence (2008)

254) Lorna's Silence (2008) Dir: Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne Date Released: July 2009 Date Seen: August 16, 2009 Rating: 3.75/5

No one of the Dardenne brothers' recent films feels more different than the rest than 2008's Lorna's Silence. Their impressionistic narratives typically do not revolve around complex plots, making their latest film's uncharacteristically developed plot a remarkable complication to their experiential, pseudo-documentary style. None of their skill writing naturalistic dialogue, or directing budding actors, like Dardenne regular Jeremie Renier or inspired newcomer Arta Dobroshi, has however changed, making their transition from making collections of deftly arranged images to a quasi-noir plot a very comfortable one. 

At the same time, I couldn't help but watch Lorna's Silence with some apprehension after having relished some of their most articulate, hyper-focussed character studies films, especially Le Fils. Thankfully, my faith in their ability to push Lorna's plot forward without unnecessary or padded scenes mostly paid off. The film's drawn-out finale is the only thing that prevents the film from being great. Its lack of precision, specifically the fact that the film could end several times before it does, is however only bothersome because of how efficient the rest of the rest of the film's deeply involving story is.