Review of Rosetta

Like most viewers I was initially surprised by the abrupt ending but after running it around in my head it finally made perfect sense. This is the moment when she is finally able to see beyond the psychological wall she has built up around her. She sees the man stood before her who has been trying to help her throughout and therefore the story ends on a positive note. The camera-work manages to bring out the human story and I did get the sense that this was a person who is trapped by her circumstances and having to face the daily assault that is her life. We do not choose our parents and Rosetta had the task of taking on the adult role while her mother assumed the irresponsible daughter caught drinking. The scene in the pond was deeply disturbing. To think that a mother is that far gone that she would not hear the cries of her own daughter. The desperation that Rosetta feels at trying to fit in and just simply get a job is deeply felt. The scene at night where she mutters to herself her basic needs I found extremely moving.

The struggle of life is difficult to watch but ultimately rewarding and Cronenberg did cinema proud by awarding its highest honour to this marvellous work by the Dardenne brothers.