The Child (L'enfant)

With each new film they make, starting from The Promise (followed by Rosetta, The Son and now, The Child), Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne has steadily created a contextual and ever expanding cinematic universe which serves as an unforced placebo mirroring our real one. In the process, the brothers have demonstrated an uncanny ability to articulate their unobtrusive takes on modern socio-politics. They adeptly presents tough ethical conundrums which deeply confound man. Without judgement, they will unleash upon unsuspecting viewers, incisively drawn characters who's uncontrived behavioral and emotional manifestations will eventually point towards their films' intended themes. It is through the Dardennes' intuitive understanding of the protagonists and the situations they face which will in turn bring out their humanity. In sum, they never fail to deliver poignantly dramatic soliloquies of equal exquisite restraint and empathic power.

A Dardenne brothers' film promises no clear answers, but challenges its perceptive viewers to ruminate over what they have just seen. In the end, each and every viewer are free to draw their own conclusions. It is this real breath of freedom which leads some, like me, to conclude that a Dardenne brothers picture may present strife and confusion, dread and heartaches, but they are necessary fuel for our collective journey towards each film's redemptive denouement. The ending will always pack a cathartic dose of sobering epiphanies.

Their latest feature, The Child (L'enfant), is no exception. Typical of a Dardenne brothers' film, we are plunged straight into its universe without the benefit of immediate clarity. We see a young woman, Sonia (Déborah François), as she cradles her newly born son. She quickly realises her boyfriend, Bruno (Jérémie Renier), who has been uncontactable since their baby's birth, has temporarily sublet their apartment to a couple of strangers. The woman, with baby in tow, soon finds the father, but he is in the midst of petty thieving activities and dividing loots with his younger apprentices. Sonia does not seem to mind her boyfriend's prior absence and present nonchalance. She is just glad to have found her boyfriend and quickly forgives/forgets about the past inconveniences. Shortly after, the couple held each other with the baby in their blissful embrace. Bruno and Sonia appear to live off his occasional loots and her unemployment benefits. Despite Sonia's gentle nudge, Bruno does not intend to find decent work as he does not believe in it. We soon see the couple having fun in the sun and indulging in some spontaneous shopping. They do not seem entirely worried by their questionable ability to look after the new born child, the father more so than the mother. It is at this pivotal juncture that Bruno did something so startlingly unimaginable that the relationship between the couple starts to splinter. The rest of the movie shall see Bruno attempting his best to salvage his misdeeds and regain Sonia's trust.

The Dardenne brothers may have sought to end The Child on a redemptive note. But its protagonist, Bruno, calls to question on whether a redemptive resolution is ever going to be possible. Given the irrevocable emotional claims he has staked from his girlfriend and his son, and compounded by his expected moral responsibilities as a father, boyfriend or even a decent human being, Bruno's actions at the film's pivotal point will hence confound or horrify the most casual of observers. However, the Dardennes' do not make easy movies, for we too can see throughout that Bruno is not evil by design. His decision criterias are random. He seems incapable of discerning whether his behavior is good or bad. Bruno merely senses what is supposed to be right or wrong when the others react or respond clearly/ strongly to his behaviour, and he will in turn react accordingly to this response. This in itself makes The Child abysmally frightening and helplessly saddening. Frightening for we are shown a specimen of a man who is capable of the most unimaginable evil without grasping its horrors, the most astonishing goodness without understanding its virtues. Saddening because he knows not what he does and hence may never be able to learn and change for the better.

The effects of having someone like Bruno may be clearly seen throughout the movie, but the possible causal factors bear closer scrutinies. One of the movie's later scenes include a subtle moment of Bruno visiting his mother for some late night assistance. In an ordinary movie, this moment may merely be a plot device to push the story forward, but in the hands of the Dardennes, they may serve a veiled, deeper purpose. We glimpse into the relationship Bruno has with his mother; informal, distant and bolstered by undesirable father figures. His mother may love him, but she seems more afraid of her current live-in boyfriend then showing more concern about her son's welfare. Though never explicitly presented, one can assume Bruno may have lived through his childhood years under such a harsh environment. If so, the unfortunately nurtured product of such conditions may hence be someone like Bruno, cowardly, restless, unintentionally callous with an inability to discern good from bad, right from wrong, but all is not lost.

Throughout, Bruno also exhibits desirable traits. He cannot feel for himself but he can feel for others. His guilt is often a reciprocal product of this trait. He also appears to be capable of loving his girlfriend and evoking genuine compassion for others, even though he may not completely understand such notions. He does not resort to unnecessary violence when dealing with people (from his girlfriend, his son to his young apprentices). He also seems incapable of lying to his loved ones. Case in point, he confessed his deeds to his girlfriend without any attempts to fabricate lies. There is hence something pure and innocent about this Bruno. He is like an unformed child, without guile or agenda, making one wonder the Dardennes' apt or cryptic intent in naming this film.

It is more of a curse than it is a blessing to be someone like Bruno, for society will protect a child but not a man who acts like one. Children are embraced and deemed cute if they possess milder shades of Bruno's traits, for they are still within the willing control of adult supervision. But if these traits are transplanted onto a man of Bruno's age, it becomes a completely different ball game. Without a leash, Bruno is a hazard to himself as well as those around him.

As a viewer, I am prone to pity or condemn someone like Bruno instinctively. However, I also realised I can so easily forget my comparatively more blessed upbringing and ignore those who lacks this privilege. Unconsciously, I may hence look upon someone like Bruno with confounding disgust, condescending sympathies or just feel a plain superior need to point out his flaws. In fact, this whole commentary piece may be more presumptuous than I'd care to admit. However, this enlightening film sets the record straight. We should not sympathise, condemn or condescend, and instead should just observe, empathise and understand one important question; who are we to judge someone/ something we barely comprehend? All we can do perhaps, is to reflect on our own experiences in relations to the movie, and hopefully draw from it, valuable life lessons.

Few modern film makers are as uniquely conceived as the Dardenne brothers, for they understand the relentless dichotomy governing humanity and society, that our everyday existence is plagued by tug of wars between life/ death, good/ evil, order/ chaos, and faith/ helplessness etc. But they also possess the will to steer lost souls towards the light of one powerful notion, the constant of change. They believe in an evolving humanity capable of defeating our fears, so that our hopes will rise from the ashes of our battled beings, to keep us going. Returning full circle to whether The Child ended redemptively, I will hence consider a leap of faith. Given his reactionary behaviours and wavering instincts, what Bruno needs, may indeed be a positive role model (or emotional anchor) to guide him onto brighter paths. It is too late for his parents to do him any good, but a lover like Sonia may be his best bet towards redeeming himself.

Dardenne brothers' films are priceless, for they delve compassionately in the belief of our will and ability to constantly better ourselves as human beings. Through their films, I have learnt many lessons which I normally would have taken a lifetime to accrue. In those precious hours of watching The Promise through to The Child (and beyond), I shall find myself gaining insights from the value of repentance to the redemptive powers of forgiveness and everything else in between. Such sublime wisdoms will cushion my walk as I trudge on this daunting existence. And I think to myself, if I succeed in becoming a better person, I will forever be indebted to generous film makers like the Dardenne brothers and their movies. If I fail, to paraphrase the quote-worthy Roger Ebert, "...that shall be the degree to which I have room to grow."

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Special Note:
The Child is showing now at Picturehouse (The Cathay).
Do check out the press ads for showtimes.