'Lorna's Silence' review

Jeremie Renier and Arta Dobroshi (Credit: Christine Plenus/Sony Classics)

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Lorna (Arta Dobroshi) is an Albanian woman who just got her Belgian citizenship. The catch? It's through a phony marriage to a frail junkie, Claudy (Jérémie Renier), and was brokered by small-time crook Fabio (Fabrizio Rongione). Fabio hopes to cash in on Lorna's immigration ticket by lining up a new marriage to a Russian mobster and disposing of Claudy to speed up the process. But the plan hits a bump when Lorna develops complex feelings toward Claudy, making her question whether she should protect herself or him.

The buzz: Writing-directing duo Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne (they're brothers) have racked up some serious frequent-flyer miles to the Cannes Film Festival. In the last 10 years, all of their films have been in competition, and each one walked away with a prize—including two coveted Palme d'Or awards (for 1999's "Rosetta" and 2005's "The Child"). "Silence" nabbed best screenplay at the 2008 fest.

The verdict: What starts as a seemingly humdrum setup (kill the druggie, get more moolah!) bucks expectations with some unconventional twists. The result is a surprisingly tender film that tracks the emotional trajectory between Lorna and Claudy from icy disgust to genuine closeness—despite the fact that Lorna already has an out-of-town boyfriend. She takes Claudy to the hospital, sorts his clothes, safekeeps his money. It's all done without forced sentimentality, and Dobroshi and Renier have a nice chemistry that captures the needy connection between their two characters. The film, however, can be overly abrupt at times, glossing over major plot developments and leaving moviegoers with a collective "huh?" It also thrives on ambiguity as we question Lorna's sanity toward the end. Then again, that sounds like a real marriage.

Did you know? Sarajevo-native Dobroshi flew to Belgium a few months before production began in order to learn French, which she speaks throughout the film.

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