dramatises the clash of 'pure' economics with other values, as Lorna struggles to undo the immorality of her acquiescent inaction... The effect is (quietly) devastating.
Comment
04/17/09
Lorna's Silence (2009)
86
%
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work 
Reviews Counted:83
Fresh:71
Rotten:12
Average Rating:7.2/10
Consensus: Subtle and emotionally bleak, this gripping thriller features the Dardenne brothers' recognizable penchant for realism and very strong performances.
Theatrical Release:28-11-2008
Synopsis: The destiny of a woman caught between love and the law of the underworld. Lorna, (Arta Dobroshi), a young Albanian woman living in Belgium, has her sights set on opening a snack bar with her... [More]
Starring: Arta Dobroshi, Jérémie Rénier, Fabrizio Rongione, Alban Ukaj
Director: Jean-Pierre Dardenne, Luc Dardenne
Reviews for Lorna's Silence
Not the strongest entry in the Dardenne Brothers' canon, but a bleak, punchy drama nonetheless.
11/28/08
Top CriticBy the time ‘The Silence of Lorna’ reaches its quiet, unusual, reflective finale, the film feels almost spiritual in its investigation of a lost soul.
11/28/08
Top CriticPossibly the beginning of a new direction for the brothers, The Silence Of Lorna gathers force slowly and deliberately, yet lacks the intimacy of the directors' earlier films.
11/28/08
Top CriticThe Silence of Lorna won Best Screenplay at this year’s Cannes Festival but the Dardenne brothers’ latest slice of grim Belgian life could have taken its pick of the prizes.
11/28/08
Top CriticThe Dardennes have again made a movie with real moral ideas. It asks us to take seriously the idea of evil, and of redemption and turning aside from evil. But the vehicle for these ideas is a convoluted film whose narrative machinery simply seizes up.
11/28/08
Top CriticAn utterly riveting thriller.
11/28/08
Top CriticThe Silence of Lorna is a film worth shouting about.
11/28/08
Another immensely subtle, skilful emotional drama from the Belgian masters. Perhaps not up with their spellbinding best – but if only everything at the movies was this disappointing.
11/28/08
An Albanian immigrant is forced into an impossible dilemma in a bleak Belgian drama relieved only by a strong performance from its leading lady. Everything else is pretty soul crushing.
11/28/08
The Silence Of Lorna is definitely a film worth shouting about.
11/28/08
Sombre and moving in early scenes, and shot with a penumbral grace, the film doesn’t quite go the dramatic distance. By final reel, insightful humanity has been replaced by inter-ethnic parable and socio-political point-scoring.
11/28/08
Unclassifiable, accomplished and mysteriously enjoyable.
11/28/08
The performances are excellent — low-key and nuanced — but the set-up is so contrived that you never feel involved for long.
11/28/08
Well directed, brilliantly acted and grippingly tense drama that packs a powerful emotional punch, though the miserablism is occasionally overwhelming.
11/28/08
The Dardenne brothers bring their straightforward realism to this haunting story set in a shady world where marriage is exchanged for European citizenship. But in the end, the story's too bleak to coalesce into something important.
11/28/08
The Dardenne brothers' latest drama... starts as rivetingly as any of their films and then, an hour in, spins into an unexpected and unsatisfying direction.
10/18/08
Once again brothers Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne explore the moral predicaments that arise from economic desperation.
11/25/09
It's Lorna's evolution (charted through Dobroshi's uncompromising performance) that makes "Lorna's Silence" worth seeing. But the Dardennes shouldn't have been so deliberately stingy with the details of her story.
11/13/09
...less a character study than the apparent breaking-in of a camera crew on a sad and sordid life.
11/07/09
Latest News for Lorna's Silence
July 30, 2009:
Critics Consensus: Funny People Is Ambitious But Uneven
This week at the movies, we've got the tears of a clown (Funny People, starring Adam Sandler and Seth Rogen), extra-terrestrial visitors upstairs (Aliens in the Attic, starring... More...
May 07, 2009:
Critics Consensus: Star Trek Is The Best-Reviewed Wide Release of 2009!
This week at the movies, we've got a brand new Enterprise (Star Trek, starring Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto) and a failed delivery (Next Day Air, starring Donald Faison and... More...
February 22, 2009:
Trailer & Poster review 
More...
What’s Hot On RT
Other News
Fresh Links
Featured
RT on YouTube
Subscribe to RT's YouTube channel and don't miss a second of our cracking video content.
RT on Twitter
Follow Rotten Tomatoes and join us as we tweet about the week's releases.
IGN RSS Feeds