Jamie passion and passionfruit!

Cannes Palme d’Or winner in 2005 from Belgium and the second release of a Dardennes film here this year (Le fils was reviewed in January).  I must say I liked this one a lot more.  Again minimalist in story and style but everything fits perfectly and adds up to a gripping tale of the immaturity of a young father, the lack of social network and structure to help young people grow up and acquire the sense they need not to be swallowed up by the street and by the blind commercial ambitions of our time.  Bruno (Jeremie Regnier), does everything wrong or so it seems.  He is lukewarm about the responsibilities involved with his new baby which his girlfriend (Deborah Francois) takes more seriously.  He thinks he can avoid work and survive by living off theft, street trading and begging and this ‘business’ mentality includes subletting his flat and even selling the newly born.  Then, things start to fall apart.  We see how realistic this behaviour is in the grey and cruel modern world where parents disown children and adults grow up being no more mature than they were as kids.  The result is a very sad film with very human people with some sense of hope at the end.  Regnier is excellent and the direction and camerawork shine.

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