Bruno, twenty. Sonia, eighteen. They live off Sonia’s benefit and the thefts committed by Bruno and the kids in his gang. Sonia has just given birth to Jimmy, their child. How can Bruno become a father, being so carefree and living as he does for concerned about the money from his deals?
Dispossessed twenty-year old Bruno (Jérémie Renier) lives with his eighteen-year-old girlfriend Sonia (Déborah François) in Seraing, an eastern Belgian steel town. They live off Sonia’s unemployment benefits along with the panhandling and petty thefts committed by Bruno and his gang. Their lives change forever when Sonia gives birth to their child, Jimmy. She returns home after Jimmy’s birth to find that Bruno has sublet their apartment to total strangers.
After an initial and promising change of heart about becoming a father and changing his ways, Jimmy becomes little more to Bruno than a potential source of wealth. Desperate for money and unable to face his parental responsibilities, Bruno sells Jimmy to a black market connection, who promises to find the child an adoptive home. Realizing the error in his actions Bruno sets out to try and undo his callous deed, leading him to a powerful personal transformation.
Director’s Statement
“This film probably dates from a day during the shooting of our previous film (The Son). We were in Seraing, Belgium on Rue du Molinay. In the morning, afternoon and evening, we saw a girl pushing a pram along, with a newborn baby asleep inside it.
She didn’t seem to be going anywhere in particular – just around and around with the pram. We have often thought back to this girl, her pram, the sleeping child, and the missing character: the child’s father. This absent figure would become our story… A love story that is also the story of a father.” Jean-Pierre and Luc DARDENNE
Synopsis
Dispossessed twenty-year old Bruno (Jérémie Renier) lives with his eighteen-year-old girlfriend Sonia (Déborah François) in Seraing, an eastern Belgian steel town. They live off Sonia’s unemployment benefits and the panhandling and petty theft committed by Bruno and his gang.
Their lives change forever when Sonia gives birth to their child, Jimmy. She returns home after Jimmy’s birth to find that Bruno has sublet their apartment to total strangers. After an initial and promising change of heart about becoming a father and changing his ways, Jimmy becomes little more to Bruno than a new source of wealth. Desperate for money and unable to face his parental responsibilities, Bruno sells Jimmy to a black market connection, who promises to find the child an adoptive home. Realizing the error in his actions Bruno sets out to try and undo his callous deed, leading him to a powerful personal transformation.
Cast Biographies
Jérémie Renier (Bruno)
First noticed as the young lead of the Dardennes’ LA PROMESSE, Jérémie Renier is a rising star of the European film, theatre and television world. In addition to his work with the Dardenne brothers, Jérémie has worked with such notable French directors as Francois Ozon, Christophe Gans and Bertrand Bonello.
Jérémie has recently finished shooting FAIRPLAY directed by Lionel Bailliu and co-starring Benoit Magimel and Marion Cotillard.
Déborah François (Sonia)
L’ENFANT (THE CHILD) marks the film debut of Déborah François whose superb performance has been noted by critics worldwide.
Filmmakers’ Biographies
Directors – Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne
The internationally acclaimed Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne have over 20 years of filmmaking experience as documentary producers/directors and segued into writing, producing and directing narrative feature films. In 1975, Luc and Jean-Pierre Dardenne founded the company “DERIVES,” which has since produced over 60 documentaries, including their own. In 1994, they founded the production company “LES FILMS DU FLEUVE”.
1996 was the Dardenne brothers’ feature film breakthrough with the acclaimed release of LA PROMESSE (THE PROMISE) starring Jérémie Renier (who stars in L’ENFANT,”) Olivier Gourmet and Assita Ouédraogo. They followed LA PROMESSE with the 1999’s Cannes Film Festival Palme d’Or and critical smash ROSETTA starring Emilie Dequenne and Olivier Gourmet, which also garnered a Cannes Best Actress Award for Ms. Dequenne. THE SON (LE FILS) starring Olivier Gourmet won Mr. Gourmet the Best Actor Award at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival.
The Dardenne brothers belong to a rare group of filmmakers, including Bille August, Francis Ford Coppola and Emir Kusturica, who have won the Cannes Film Festival’s Palme d’Or twice.
Director Of Photography – Alain Marcoen
A long time collaborator of the Dardenne brothers, Alain Marcoen has worked with them since LA PROMESSE.
Editor – Marie-Hélene Dozo
In addition to being a regular collaborator to the Dardenne brothers, Marie-Hélene Dozo has worked with filmmakers from around the world since the early 1990s.
L’Enfant (The Child) (2006)
Directed by: Jean-Pierre Dardenne, Luc Dardenne
Starring: Jérémie Renier, Déborah Francois, Jérémie Segard, Bernard Marbaix, Fabrizio Rongione, Olivier Gourmet, Anne Gerard, Jean-Claude Boniverd, Marie-Rose Roland
Screenplay by: Jean-Pierre Dardenne, Luc Dardenne
Production Design by: Igor Gabriel
Cinematography by: Alain Marcoen
Film Editing by: Marie-Hélène Dozo
Costume Design by: Monic Parelle
MPAA Rating: R for brief strong language.
Distributed by: Sony Pictures Classics
Release Date: March 24, 2006
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