Set in the town of Liege in Belgium, the film revolves around a young doctor who turned away a young girl late one night only to learn that the girl died a day later nearby as she feels responsible for her death. It is a film that explores not just guilt but also a doctor trying to learn who this girl is and why she died as someone was chasing her. The film’s screenplay by Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne has a straightforward narrative yet it is the first script where they flirt with a genre in suspense-mystery as it plays into the journey that Dr. Jenny Davin (Adele Haenel) takes where she had been working all day with her intern Julien (Olivier Bonnaud) at a clinic as it was past closing time is when she refused to open the door even though Julien wanted to help this young girl who was being chased. Upon learning about this girl who died as no one had been able to identify her, Dr. Davin becomes obsessed with as she talks with the police, the previous owner of the clinic she runs, and various locals including some patients if they knew this girl. Even as she also works being a doctor who drives from place to place to help them.
The direction of the Dardenne Brothers is entrancing for not just its simplicity but also in how restrained it is in terms of using hand-held cameras where there is not a lot of shakiness in the camera movements. Shot on location in Liege, the Dardenne Brothers’ direction aims for intimacy in the usage of medium shots and close-ups though there are a few wide shots in the film. Yet, they do maintain this style of cinema verite that gives the film a realistic feel as if they are presenting the film as a documentary but with a polished look. It adds to the sense of realism where the Dardenne Brothers use the locations in Liege to highlight a world that Dr. Davin is going into while also tending to other patients outside of her clinic. The Dardenne Brothers display that despite the poor social standing that Dr. Davin’s clients live in, she will go to them to treat them and such while asking if they know the identity of this young girl she turns away.
The element of suspense and mystery do come into play where Dr. Davin asks one of young patients in Bryan (Louka Minnella) if he knew this girl as he said no at first only to later revealed that he did see her with a friend leading to more revelations about some of the seedy things in town. Notably as she gets some information from both Bryan’s father (Jeremie Renier) and a man who runs an illegal garage though she still does not get this girl’s name. It does play into an underworld of sorts that Dr. Davin must confront though she is not only the person filled with guilt over what happened as there are others who did know this girl but were either afraid to reveal her identity or had a hand in her death. Overall, the Dardenne Brothers craft a gripping yet somber film about a young Belgian doctor dealing with her role in a young girl’s death.
Cinematographer Alain Marcoen does brilliant work with the film’s cinematography as it is straightforward in its natural lighting for many of the daytime interior/exterior scenes as well as some additional lighting for some exterior scenes at night. Editor Marie-Helene Dozo does excellent work with the editing as it is straightforward with shots lingering for more than a few minutes with a few jump-cuts to play into the suspense. Production designer Igor Gabriel, along with set decorators Millie Dardenne and Amanda Petrella plus art director Paul Rouschop, does fantastic work with the interiors of the clinic that Dr. Davin runs as well as the small apartment she lives in above the clinic. Costume designer Maira Ramedhan Levi does terrific work with the costumes as it is straightforward with everyone wearing casual clothing including the coats that they wear as it is set in the fall/winter. Sound editor Benoit De Clerck does nice work with the sound as it is straightforward in capturing everything that is on location as well as the way something sounds like from afar or in another room.
The film’s wonderful ensemble cast feature some notable small roles and appearances from Thomas Doret as a cancer patient of Dr. Davin who wrote a song for her, Marc Zinga as a pimp who threatens Dr. Davin, Jean-Michel Balthazar as a diabetic patient who helps Dr. Davin in trying to find the girl’s identity, Ben Hamidou and Laurent Caron as a couple of police inspectors, Yves Larec as Dr. Davin’s previous boss who tried to help her in identifying the girl through his records, Pierre Sumkay as an old patient in Monsieur Lambert who revealed that he did meet the girl and knows who she is, Myriem Akheddiou as an assistant of a boss of Dr. Davin, Nadege Ouedraogo as a cashier at a cybercafe, Christelle Cornil as Bryan’s mother, and Fabrizio Rongione as Dr. Riga as a boss of Dr. Davin who gave her a job that would help her fund her clinic.
Olivier Gourmet is terrific as Monsieur Lambert’s son who runs a garage where the titular girl had done something in his camper van as the man does not want anyone to know. Louka Minella is superb as Bryan as a young kid with indigestion issues who had seen the girl but knows more to protect a friend of his. Jeremie Renier is excellent as Bryan’s father who also knows the girl but is also secretive into what had happened. Olivier Bonnaud is fantastic as Dr. Davin’s intern Julien who had quit the clinic the day after the news of the girl’s death as he reveals what happened on that day all because of a child who had a seizure. Finally, there’s Adele Haenel in a phenomenal performance as Dr. Jenny Davin as a young woman who works and runs a clinic while also going to various homes to treat patients while dealing with the guilt of turning away a young girl being chased that led to her death. It is a somber yet restrained performance from Haenel who captures not just the sense of guilt in her actions but also trying to understand who this girl is and why did she die as it is one of her finest performances.
La Fille inconnue is a tremendous film from Jean-Pierre & Luc Dardenne that features a great leading performance from Adele Haenel. Along with its ensemble supporting cast, realistic visuals, a simple yet engaging premise, and its unconventional take on suspense and mystery. It is a film that is not just a fascinating study of guilt but also a woman trying to deal with a mistake and rectify it so she can bring peace to herself and those who knew this young girl. In the end, La Fille inconnue is a spectacular film from Jean-Pierre & Luc Dardenne.
Dardenne Brothers Films: (Falsch) – (I Think of You) – La Promesse - Rosetta - Le Fils - L'Enfant - To Each His Own Cinema-Darkness - Lorna's Silence - The Kid with a Bike - Two Days, One Night - Young Ahmed - Tori & Lokita
© thevoid99 2024
(Winner of the Best Director Prize to Jean-Pierre & Luc Dardenne at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival)
The film revolves around a 13-year-old Belgian-Muslim student who has become radicalized by his local imam who convinces him that his schoolteacher is an apostate prompting him to kill her in the name of Allah. It is a film that explores a boy living in small working-class town in Belgium with a mixture of races and religions as he is embracing the radical ideas of his imam through a radicalized version of the Quran. The screenplay by Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne is straightforward in its narrative despite not having much plot in favor of studying the film’s titular character (Idir Ben Addi) and his actions where he would be sent to a juvenile detention center as he comes into conflict with the way the center approaches him in a non-confrontational manner. Even as he would collaborate with his caseworker at a farm as he tries to maintain his idealism but becomes troubled by his emotions and the pleas from his mother (Claire Bodson) to change his ways and forget the teachings of his local imam (Othmane Moumen).
The direction of the Dardenne Brothers is entrancing for its simplicity as it is shot on location in Wallonia, Belgium with hand-held cameras. While there are a few wide shots in the film, much of the direction is intimate through the usage of close-ups and medium shots that play into the style that the Dardenne Brothers are known for that is like cinema verité. Even as the Dardenne Brothers play into this world of Islam where Ahmed is devoted to as he is a Muslim, yet he is upset that his schoolteacher Miss Ines (Myriem Akheddiou) who wants to teach basic Arabic to kids in preparation when they grow up and such as well as make it accessible. It is an idea that upsets both Ahmed and his imam as the latter urges him to act although the former mistakes his rhetoric as an act of jihad. The incident would put Ahmed in the detention center as he is given time to pray as he would often carry the Quran in a plastic Ziploc bag whenever he goes somewhere such as a farm.
At the farm, he meets a young girl in Louise (Victoria Bluck) who is interested in him though she confuses Ahmed. Especially as he is someone that is trying to maintain a sense of purity for himself hoping to be embraced by Allah. The Dardenne Brothers go to great lengths as it relates to Ahmed’s confusion where he steals a toothbrush from the farm to create a shiv, but things do not go well despite his claims that he has changed. The direction does showcase a world where Ahmed expects to be abused and such, but it isn’t anything like that as the film’s final moments play into him wanting to prove himself to Allah, but he’s filled with a lot of conflict over what he’s being taught but also what the Quran really teaches. Overall, the Dardenne Brothers craft an evocative and engaging film about a 13-year-old Muslim boy from Belgium trying to kill his schoolteacher to prove himself to Allah.
Cinematographer Benoit Dervoux does brilliant work with the film’s cinematography as it is straightforward in its approach to natural lighting in the daytime interior/exterior settings and usage of available light for some of the interior scenes at night. Editors Marie-Helene Dozo and Tristan Meunier do excellent work with the editing as it is straightforward with a few jump-cuts to play into some of the drama. Production designer Igor Gabriel and art director Paul Rouschop do fantastic work with the look of the classrooms that Ahmed goes to as well as the home he lives with his family and some of the interiors at the farmhouse. Costume designer Maira Ramedhan Levi does nice work with the costumes as it is casual with many of the young kids wearing tracksuits or loose clothing apart from a few scenes at the imam’s church where everyone is wearing a robe.
Visual effects supervisor Guillaume Pondard does terrific work with a few of the film’s visual effects scenes as it is set dressing on a few bits including the film’s climax. The sound work of Julien Sicart and sound editor Valene Leroy is superb for its sound as a lot of it is captured on location to maintain a sense of realism that also includes a scene in a car where the lone music piece played on film is a song by the Intergalactic Lovers while a classical piece by Franz Schubert that is played in the film’s final credits.
The film’s wonderful ensemble cast feature some notable small roles from Cyra Lassman as Ahmed’s older sister Yasmine, Amine Hamidou as his brother Rachid who is also radicalized, Karim Chihab as a counselor at the detention center, and Olivier Bonnaud as a sympathetic caseworker who tries to help Ahmed while not wanting to stray Ahmed from his faith. Victoria Bluck is fantastic as Louise as a farmer’s daughter who works at the farm as she befriends Ahmed while also trying to understand him through a simple act of affection. Claire Bodson is excellent as Ahmed’s mother who is aghast about his newfound radicalism as she tries to get him to steer back into his innocence, feeling he is becoming a danger to himself and everyone around him.
Othmane Moumen is brilliant as Ahmed’s imam Youssouf who is a radical that believes that Islam is being threatened as is everything Ahmed is trying to maintain in his faith where he would suggest going into extremism as he is really an evil figure distorting the ideas of Islam. Myriem Akheddiou is amazing as Miss Ines as Ahmed’s schoolteacher who is troubled by Ahmed’s radicalism as she is also a Muslim but is hoping to make it more accessible for everyone including children so they can maintain their identity. Finally, there’s Idir Ben Addi in a phenomenal performance as Ahmed as this 13-year-old Belgian-Muslim kid who becomes radicalized as he is eager to prove himself to his imam and Allah by killing his teacher only to be sent to a detention center. It is a subdued performance from the young actor who expresses someone that is determined to complete his task but is also filled with confusion and anguish over the ways of the world.
Le Jeune Ahmed is a sensational film from the Dardenne Brothers. Featuring a great ensemble cast, naturalistic visuals, and a riveting character study of a young boy being radicalized into killing his teacher. It is a film that explores a youth being lost and pulled in many directions while he is intent on completing a task in the name of religion only to realize that the world is far more complicated with hate being the catalyst for this complication. In the end, Le Jeune Ahmed is a phenomenal film from the Dardenne Brothers.
Dardenne Brothers Films: (Falsch) – (I Think of You) – La Promesse - Rosetta - Le Fils - L'Enfant - To Each His Own Cinema-Darkness - Lorna's Silence - The Kid with a Bike - Two Days, One Night - The Unknown Girl - Tori & Lokita
© thevoid99 2024
