The Child
Director: Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne
Year Released: 2005
Rating: 3.0
A young man and woman have a child together, but their lives are mixed up and they don't want to grow up, so for money the man tries selling the child, which kicks off a chain of events that leads to his ruin. It begins vaguely, without letting the audience know that much about the couple, their histories or home lives before focusing on the male in the relationship and about the responsibilities for parenthood - it could be argued that there are three 'children' in the film: the actual baby, the 14-year-old thief the main character works with and the main character himself, still struggling with the responsibilities of adulthood. The punishment seems harsh, but the twentysomething really doesn't make the best decisions - it isn't until the final scene that the possibility for redemption surfaces even slightly. It's cruel and grim, but so is life, I suppose.
