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.
Review of The Child
