Directors Jean-Pierre (left) and Luc Dardenne
THE UNKNOWN GIRL (La Fille Inconnue) B+
Belgium France (113 mi) 2016 d: Luc and Jean-Pierre Dardenne
Belgium France (113 mi) 2016 d: Luc and Jean-Pierre Dardenne
In film after film, the Dardenne brothers provide the gold
standard on social realism, using a near documentary format to make spare and
cinematically austere films with a social message and moral implications, set
exclusively in Liège working class environments, exposing social dilemmas that
viewers universally can identify with, revealing the difficult kinds of choices
people are forced to make, often risking their economic security to preserve
their own humanity, where their insight is usually right on the nose. While the quality of their films is always
high, two time winners of the prestigious Palme d’Or (1st place) award at
Cannes, for ROSETTA (1999) and L’ENFANT (THE CHILD) (2005), while also winning
The Grand Prix (2nd place) award for The
Kid With a Bike (Le gamin au vélo) (2011) and best screenplay for LORNA’S
SILENCE (2008), their most recent work included heralded actress Marion
Cotillard in Two
Days, One Night (Deux jours, une nuit) (2014), yet one detects a kind of
indistinguishable similarity in their films, as they are all made exactly the
same way. Speaking personally, what’s
been missing are the transcendent moments that elevated both ROSETTA (1999) and
LE FILS (THE SON) (2002) to near religious experiences, films that are
comparable to the Bressonian template, where the mechanics of rigorous technical
precision lead to a spiritual release, like finding a way out of the labyrinth,
suddenly freed from all human limitations, discovering salvation in the most
improbable places. This film attempts to
do the same, revealing how hard it is to make moral choices in today’s world,
as no one else is interested in lending a helping hand. Like an accident victim stranded on the side
of the road, most would prefer to conveniently drive by and not get involved,
something that might have been unthinkable 50 years ago, but times and
perceptions have changed, literally altering human behavior.
Born and raised in the industrial Belgian town of Seraing,
the French-speaking Walloon municipality in the province of Liège, the setting
of literally every single one of their feature films, the Dardenne brothers
originally planned to make this film with actress Marion Cotillard, but due to
scheduling difficulties made the earlier Two
Days, One Night (Deux jours, une nuit) (2014) with her instead, choosing another extraordinary
French actress for the role, Adèle Haenel, who was involved in an open
relationship with French director Céline Sciamma, meeting on the set of her
first feature film WATER LILIES (2006), continuing until the Belgian release of
this film in October 2016. Surprisingly
the Dardenne brothers re-edited the film after the initial Cannes release,
trimming 7-minutes off the film with 32 new edits, in effect streamlining the
film, adding greater fluidity, where the visceral pace is one of the distinguishing
features of the film, becoming something of a daunting police procedural
carried out by a private citizen, ratcheting up the suspense, evoking an
edge-of-your-seat style of thriller. Haenel
plays a young, successful physician, Jenny Davin, taking the place of a
retiring doctor in a small, neighborhood family clinic as she prepares for a
more prestigious position in a larger medical facility with state of the art
equipment and the recipient of huge research grants. As she examines an elderly patient struggling
for breath, she is also providing hands-on instructional training to a young
intern, Julien (Olivier Bonnaud), where her uncompromising attention to detail
leaves him a bit overwhelmed, feeling she is being overly critical, which makes
her even more resolute to be precise. In
response, Julien grows more introverted and aloof, which alarms the
doctor. When he freezes at the sight of
a young patient having a seizure in the waiting room, she reprimands him, “A
good doctor has to control his emotions.”
Working well past closing time, unable to see any more patients, she
instructs him to ignore the ring of the outer door buzzer, reminding him, “Don’t
let patients tire you or you won’t make a proper diagnosis.” The following morning, however, the police
arrive at her door requesting to see her security video, as a crime took place
across the street, where a young woman’s body was found lying dead on the rocks
by the river. Jenny’s conscience kicks
into high gear, remembering the late night buzzer, bringing this to the attention
of the authorities, as she’s haunted by the thought that the woman might still
be alive had she opened her doors, where the remainder of the film feels driven
by the depths of her guilt.
While the video did not capture the incident, police contend
she was a young African prostitute, suggesting the woman’s body showed signs of
a struggle, where her head was crushed by a blunt object and then left for dead
after the perpetrator fled the scene. Curious about what happened, Jenny examines
the crime scene, having to pass through a construction zone to get there, as it
was one of the workers who initially discovered the body. Rattled to the core, she is apologetic to
Julien, overly critical of herself for not checking the door, but unable to
ascertain the identity of the woman, she has a photograph made from the
security video, placing it in her phone, then showing it to Julien and various
patients asking if they know her.
Without explanation, Julien bolts from the office, claiming he’s not
coming back, apparently rethinking his career path, where Jenny tries to be as
supportive as possible, encouraging him not to make a rash decision, yet he’s
obviously been affected by the incident.
Similarly, after consulting with the retiring physician she is
replacing, she decides to take up his smaller neighborhood practice instead of
the more lucrative offer, even though it caters to a decidedly poorer
clientele. While the rhythm of the film
is built on a succession of patient examinations, she routinely makes house
calls as well, establishing an alternative storyline that requires travel, so
she’s constantly on the move, an action that only accelerates when she adds a
series of investigative inquiries to her list of things to do, questioning if
people have seen the girl, what do they know and what can they tell her? Based on the impoverished circles she’s
exploring, she heads straight into warning signs, where there are dangerous
asides, as she’s investigating people who do not like anyone asking
questions. Getting herself deeper and
deeper involved, she assumes more responsibility, where even the police warn
her to stay out of their business and eventually give her the cold
shoulder. While some will argue the
script is overly contrived, as detective work is never this easy, as everyone
she meets seems to have some involvement in the matter, but the quickening pace
of the film is extremely affecting, as viewers get caught up in her moral quest,
finding a name that belongs to a violated body that was simply tossed aside, like
it meant nothing, something the police and society at large are routinely indifferent
about, particularly when it comes to immigrants and people of color, yet it is
precisely this issue that elevates the tension and creates a compelling
drama. Always psychologically complex,
delving into the plight of forgotten or impoverished individuals, the Dardennes
succinctly humanize this moral issue in ways others can’t or won’t, making this
essential viewing.
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