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L'Enfant

Play trailer Poster for L'Enfant R 2005 1h 35m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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84% Tomatometer 113 Reviews 72% Popcornmeter 25,000+ Ratings
After giving birth, teenage Sonia (Déborah François) returns home to find that her boyfriend, irresponsible petty criminal Bruno (Jérémie Segard), has sublet their apartment. Sonia tracks Bruno down on the street, and after the couple spends the night together, they decide to start a new life with the baby. But the next morning, Bruno sells their child for cash, sending Sonia into shock. Shaken by her decision to press charges against him, Bruno sets out to retrieve the baby.
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L'Enfant

L'Enfant

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Critics Consensus

The Dardennes continue to excel at presenting works of rigorous naturalism, with detached observations of authentic characters that nevertheless resonate with complex moral issues.

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Critics Reviews

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Adam Nayman The Ringer L'Enfant deals in matters of (organized) crime and punishment without compromising its emotional acuity or spiritual purity. Apr 6, 2020 Full Review Victoria Segal New Statesman L'Enfant shows a world that remains under the radar for most people, yet proves that growing up - however long it takes - is anything but child's play. Sep 26, 2017 Full Review David Ansen Newsweek Unfolding in real time on the scruffy working-class streets of industrial Belgium, this harrowingly intense odyssey charts Bruno's desperate search for redemption. Nov 1, 2007 Full Review Farah Cheded A Good Movie To Watch The Dardenne brothers’ restraint and resolute refusal to moralize about their easily condemnable protagonist open [The Child] up to being a compelling reflective exercise on the limits of redemption. Aug 25, 2023 Full Review David Walsh World Socialist Web Site Their depiction of the bleak conditions provides them a certain credibility, but then the filmmakers largely turn their backs on the implications of those conditions. Feb 14, 2021 Full Review Richard Propes TheIndependentCritic.com Further cements the reputation of the Dardennes as innovative and essential filmmakers. Rated: 3.5/4.0 Sep 13, 2020 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Jerod S The French answer to why you grow up and get married before having kids and why committed relationships are important for society. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 09/29/23 Full Review Audience Member A grimey story of one man's emotionless descent into immorality. Well captured and feels real. A modern French classic. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/28/23 Full Review dave s It's evident early on that L'Enfant is a film from the Dardenne brothers, from both a style and theme perspective. Sonia (Deborah Francois), a young woman with a newborn, is in love with Bruno (Jeremie Renier), an incompetent petty thief and man-child with no moral compass. When he takes things a step or two too far and sells the baby behind Sonia's back, things take an understandably bad turn in their relationship. It's a story about survival and, ultimately, some form of redemption as the young couple try to come to terms with the course of events. The film loses some steam over the second half as the focus is primarily on the repugnant Bruno as opposed to the more intriguing Sonia, but it remains fairly compelling viewing from the always interesting Dardennes. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review nefasto r Another stroke of ultra-realism from the Dardenne brothers, another powerful tale, another very good film. "Take responsibility of your actions": this seem to be the invisible line connecting all of their works, and all the one I saw deserve to be watched. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member Honestly this movie is just really boring and sucks. I just don't care for it I felt that it was a waste of time I rather watch "The Kid" on top on that the characters aren't interesting at all Rated 1 out of 5 stars 01/18/23 Full Review Audience Member Are kidnapping, stealing, and lying somehow more meaningful or artistic in French? L'Enfant tries to dress those actions up as a moral fable or redemptive tale, but really just shows us a very unattractive person being very unattractive to pretty much everyone he encounters. The consequences are predictable and not that interesting. Nearly any viewer's time will be better spent watching something else. Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 02/06/23 Full Review Read all reviews
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Movie Info

Synopsis After giving birth, teenage Sonia (Déborah François) returns home to find that her boyfriend, irresponsible petty criminal Bruno (Jérémie Segard), has sublet their apartment. Sonia tracks Bruno down on the street, and after the couple spends the night together, they decide to start a new life with the baby. But the next morning, Bruno sells their child for cash, sending Sonia into shock. Shaken by her decision to press charges against him, Bruno sets out to retrieve the baby.
Director
Jean-Pierre Dardenne, Luc Dardenne
Producer
Jean-Pierre Dardenne, Luc Dardenne, Denis Freyd
Screenwriter
Jean-Pierre Dardenne, Luc Dardenne
Production Co
Les Films du Fleuve
Rating
R (Brief Language)
Genre
Drama
Original Language
Canadian French
Rerelease Date (Theaters)
Mar 24, 2006
Release Date (Streaming)
Jan 1, 2012
Runtime
1h 35m
Sound Mix
Dolby Digital
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