Rosetta (film)

1999 film by Luc Dardenne, Jean-Pierre Dardenne

Rosetta

Theatrical release poster

Directed by| Luc Dardenne
Jean-Pierre Dardenne
Written by|

* Luc Dardenne
* Jean-Pierre Dardenne

Produced by|

* Luc Dardenne
* Jean-Pierre Dardenne

Starring|

* Émilie Dequenne
* Fabrizio Rongione
* Olivier Gourmet
* Anne Yernaux

Cinematography| Alain Marcoen
Edited by| Marie-Hélène Dozo
Music by| Thomas Gauder

Production
companies

* Les Films du Fleuve
* ARP
* RTBF

Distributed by|

* Cinéart (Belgium)
* ARP Sélection (France)

Release dates

* 22 May 1999 (1999-05-22) (Cannes)
* 22 September 1999 (1999-09-22) (Belgium)
* 29 September 1999 (1999-09-29) (France)

Running time

| 93 minutes
Countries|

* Belgium
* France

Language| French
Box office| $5.6 million[1]

Rosetta is a 1999 coming-of-age drama film written and directed by Luc and Jean-Pierre Dardenne. The film follows the story of a teenager (Émilie Dequenne), residing in a caravan park with her alcoholic mother. In her quest for survival and a better life, she tirelessly seeks employment in order to break free from her tumultuous living situation, hoping to leave behind the caravan and her dysfunctional mother for a more stable and secure life.

The film won numerous accolades, including the Palme d'Or and the Best Actress awards at the 1999 Cannes Film Festival, and received critical acclaim upon release.[2]

## Plot

[edit]

When her probationary employment ends without her being hired, Rosetta (Émilie Dequenne) engages in a violent struggle against her manager and the policemen when she refuses to leave the premises. She returns home to "The Grand Canyon", the caravan park where she lives with her alcoholic mother, who mends worn clothes for Rosetta to sell to charity shops. They get into a physical struggle over her mother accepting gifts from men for sexual favours. Rosetta goes to a nearby river and lays out fish traps to poach trout for food. Unable to receive unemployment pay, refusing to take welfare, and desperate for work, Rosetta asks around for vacancies until she comes upon a waffle stand. She befriends the worker, Riquet (Fabrizio Rongione), and asks the owner (Olivier Gourmet) for a job, without success. Later, Rosetta treats her period cramps with pain relievers and a hairdryer, warming her abdomen.

Riquet makes an unexpected visit to the caravan park, startling Rosetta. He informs her that a colleague was fired and that she can have the job. Her mother's promiscuity resulting from alcoholism prompts Rosetta to encourage her to visit a rehabilitation clinic. However, her mother's denial of her addiction causes a physical fight between them. Her mother runs away and leaves Rosetta to nearly drown in the river by the park. She decides to stay with Riquet for the night and inquires about renting a bed in the building. During the awkward evening, Rosetta discovers a waffle iron in his possession. He tries to get Rosetta to dance, but her period cramps put an end to it. As she lies in bed, she tries to convince herself that her life has started to function normally.

At work, she is replaced after three days by the owner's son, who failed school, leading to another emotional meltdown. Rosetta is moderately pacified when the owner tells her she will be contacted if an opportunity arises. She begins a new but fruitless search for employment and keeps Riquet company during work. He offers to pay for a waffle, but she refuses his charity.

While fishing Rosetta hears a motorbike engine, thinking it is the janitor, she throws her fish traps into the pond, though it turns out to be only Riquet. He then falls into the pond while helping her find the traps. She watches him thrashing in the muddy water and hesitates before helping him out. Later, she discovers that Riquet has been selling his own waffles during business hours, due to him offering her an under-the-table job helping him mix the batter. After some contemplation, she tells the owner. Rosetta looks on as Riquet is thrown out of the stand, and she is handed his apron. Betrayed and hurt, Riquet chases her on his moped until he catches up to her and demands to know her motive. Rosetta states she wanted a job and wishes she hadn't saved him from the water. He counters that she still helped him and lets her leave.

The next day, Riquet buys a waffle from Rosetta while she is working, and she can barely look him in the eye. Returning home, she finds her mother unconscious and inebriated in front of the caravan. She drags her mother inside and puts her to bed. Rosetta calls her boss on a payphone and quits her job. Returning to the trailer, she turns on the gas and leaves it running in an attempt to asphyxiate herself and her mother. The gas runs out though, and she goes to the landlord to buy another canister. As she hauls the heavy canister of gas with great difficulty, Riquet arrives on his moped and circles around her. She eventually collapses to the ground and bursts into tears. Riquet helps her up, and she turns to gaze at him as she slowly regains her composure.

## Cast

[edit]

* Émilie Dequenne as Rosetta
* Fabrizio Rongione as Riquet
* Anne Yernaux as the mother
* Olivier Gourmet as the boss
* Bernard Marbaix as the campground's manager
* Thomas Gollas as the mother's boyfriend

## Reception

[edit]

### Box office

[edit]

The film opened on two screens in New York City on 5 November 1999 and grossed $20,187, ultimately grossing $266,665 after thirteen weeks in theatres.[3]

### Critical response

[edit]

Lead actress Émilie Dequenne at the 1999 Cannes Film Festival

Rosetta was released to overwhelmingly positive reception by American mainstream press and critics, who cited the lack of a musical score and use of a handheld camera throughout its production as a major factor in its overall unique tone. On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 90% based on 29 reviews, with an average rating of 7.7/10.[4] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 76 out of 100, based on 19 reviews, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[2]

Derek Elley of Variety notes the film is "Anchored by a performance of grim determination and almost feral instincts from its lead actress, Rosetta is an extremely small European art movie from Belgian brothers Luc and Jean-Pierre Dardenne that will alienate as many viewers as it wins over."[5] Stephen Holden of The New York Times gave a more critical review due to the prevalent gloom, stating Rosetta "is so clinically detached from its subject and its screenplay so minimal that we never really feel the title character's intense suffering or even get to know her very well. As she spirals into despair, the film's heavy, social-realist angst feels more than a little contrived... Instead of feeling universal, the movie feels claustrophobic."[6] In his review for Boston Globe Jay Carr surmises, "The bleakness of Rosetta will not be for all, but it's one of the best films of the year."[2]

Roger Ebert gave Rosetta three and a half stars in the Chicago Sun-Times, noting its "neorealist, without pedigree, downbeat, stylistically straightforward" nature. He further commented, "The film has an odd subterranean power. It doesn't strive for our sympathy or make any effort to portray Rosetta as colorful, winning or sympathetic. It's a film of economic determinism, the story of a young woman for whom employment equals happiness. Or so she thinks until she has employment and is no happier, perhaps because that is something she has simply never learned to be."[7] Peter Bradshaw, writing for The Guardian, lauded Rosetta to be "a rigorous transforming gaze, a strange and passionate urgency. Every time I watch it, it becomes more moving, more commanding, more exceptional. It is a film whose grace and lyricism has earned it, simply, the status of classic: something of real greatness."[8] Jonathan Rosenbaum, reviewing for Chicago Reader, extolled the film as showing an extraordinary capability of maintaining an objective view into the world of the protagonist and "the most visceral filmgoing experience of the past year, including all of Hollywood's explosions and special-effects extravaganzas".[9]

The French press were also enthusiastic about the film. Jean-Pierre Dufreigne reviewing for L'Express highly recommended Rosetta to readers regardless of polarization because of its tenacious depiction of youth straining to preserve their integrity while bearing adult responsibilities and the effective use of the camera to capture the essence of the protagonist.[10] Marine Landrot writing for Télérama gave additional praise to Rosetta, noting the role reversal between Rosetta and her mother signified the inherent desire in childhood comforts as both yield to the pressures afflicted by modern society.[11]

### Accolades

[edit]

The film unanimously won the Palme d'Or and the Best Actress awards at the 1999 Cannes Film Festival.[12] The film also received the André Cavens Award for Best Film by the Belgian Film Critics Association (UCC), and the Golden Pegasus from the 2000 Flaiano International Prizes for Best Director. Belgium's submission of Rosetta was not nominated for the 72nd Academy Awards. Émilie Dequenne won the CFCA Award for Most Promising Actress from the Chicago Film Critics Association Awards, tied with Julia Stiles of 10 Things I Hate About You[13] and was nominated for the Most Promising Actress at the 25th César Awards.[14]

At the 2000 Joseph Plateau Awards, it was presented with the Joseph Plateau Award for Best Belgian Actress, Best Belgian Director, Best Belgium Film, and Box Office Award while Olivier Gourmet received a nomination for Best Belgium Actor. Other nominations included the Independent Spirit Award for Best Foreign Film[15] and the European Film Awards for Best Actress and Best Film.[16]

## Rosetta Law

[edit]

Contrary to popular belief, the film did not inspire a new so-called "Rosetta Law" in Belgium that prohibited employers from paying teenage workers less than the minimum wage and included other youth labour reforms. In a 2006 Guardian interview with the Dardenne brothers, Jean-Pierre explained the misconception; "No, that law already existed, it just hadn't been voted through yet. The truth is always less interesting than the fiction."[17]

## See also

[edit]

* List of submissions to the 72nd Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film
* List of Belgian submissions for Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Rosetta (1999)". JP Box-Office (in French).
2. ^ a b c "Rosetta". Metacritic.
3. ^ "Rosetta". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 16 June 2013.
4. ^ "Rosetta". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 16 June 2013.
5. ^ Elley, Derek (24 May 1999). "Review: "Rosetta"". Variety. Retrieved 16 June 2013.
6. ^ Holden, Stephen (2 October 1999). "Rosetta (1999) FILM FESTIVAL REVIEW; Poor Belgian Girl Yearns For (What Else?) Waffles". The New York Times. Retrieved 16 June 2013.
7. ^ Ebert, Roger (7 January 2000). "Rosetta Movie Review & Film Summary (2000)". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved 16 June 2013 - via RogerEbert.com.
8. ^ Bradshaw, Peter (25 February 2000). "Streets ahead of the competition". The Guardian. Retrieved 16 June 2013.
9. ^ Rosenbaum, Jonathan (2000). "Rosetta". Chicago Reader. Retrieved 16 March 2025 - via JonathanRosenbaum.net.
10. ^ Dufreigne, Jean-Pierre (30 September 1999). "Pour l'honneur de Rosetta". L'Express (in French). Retrieved 17 June 2013.
11. ^ Landrot, Marine (29 September 1999). "Rosetta" (in French). Télérama. Retrieved 17 June 2013.
12. ^ "Festival de Cannes: Rosetta". Festival de Cannes. Festival de Cannes. Retrieved 16 June 2013.
13. ^ "Chicago Film Critics Awards – 1998–2007". Chicago Film Critics Association. Retrieved 16 June 2013.
14. ^ "Palmarès 2000 – 25 Ème Cérémonie Des César" (in French). Academy of Caesar. Archived from the original on 29 July 2013. Retrieved 16 June 2013.
15. ^ "2000 Awards". Film Independent. Archived from the original on 12 December 2013. Retrieved 16 June 2013.
16. ^ "Rosetta". European Film Academy. Retrieved 16 June 2013.
17. ^ Brooks, Xan (9 February 2006). "The Guardian Interview With The Dardenne Brothers". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 March 2016.

## Further reading

[edit]

* Rosenbaum, Jonathan (14 January 2000). "True Grit [ROSETTA]". Chicago Reader. Retrieved 16 March 2025.

## External links

[edit]

* Rosetta at IMDb
* Rosetta at AllMovie
* Rosetta at Rotten Tomatoes
* Rosetta at The Criterion Collection
* Rosetta at the Arts & Faith Top 100 Spiritually Significant Films list
* Rosetta: Radical Economy – an essay by Kent Jones at The Criterion Collection

* v
* t
* e

Dardenne brothers

* Awards and nominations

Feature films|

* The Promise (1996)
* Rosetta (1999)
* The Son (2002)
* L'Enfant (2005)
* Lorna's Silence (2008)
* The Kid with a Bike (2011)
* Two Days, One Night (2014)
* The Unknown Girl (2016)
* Young Ahmed (2019)
* Tori and Lokita (2022)
* Young Mothers (2025)

Related|

Les Films du Fleuve

* v
* t
* e

Belgian Film Critics Association Award for Best Film

* The Son of Amir Is Dead (1976)
* In the Name of the Führer (1977)
* Les Rendez-vous d'Anna (1978)
* Woman Between Wolf and Dog (1979)
* My Name Is Anna Magnani (1980)
* Le Grand Paysage d'Alexis Droeven (1981)
* Le Lit (1982)
* Brussels by Night (1983)
* Permeke (1985)
* The van Paemel Family (1986)
* Wedding in Galilee (1987)
* The Abyss (1988)
* Wait Until Spring, Bandini (1989)
* Monsieur (1990)
* Toto the Hero (1991)
* Man Bites Dog (1992)
* Just Friends (1993)
* The Sexual Life of the Belgians (1994)
* Manneken Pis (1995)
* La Promesse (1996)
* Gabriel's Dream (1997)
* Rosie (1998)
* Rosetta (1999)
* Lijmen/Het Been (2000)
* No Man's Land (2001)
* The Son (2002)
* On the Run / An Amazing Couple / After Life (2003)
* Gilles' Wife (2004)
* L'Enfant (2005)
* The Only One (2006)
* Private Property (2007)
* Eldorado (2008)
* Unspoken (2009)
* Mr. Nobody (2010)
* Bullhead (2011)
* Our Children (2012)
* Kid (2013)
* Two Days, One Night (2014)
* The Brand New Testament (2015)
* After Love (2016)
* Home (2017)
* Girl (2018)
* Our Mothers (2019)
* Adoration (2020)
* Playground (2021)
* Close (2022)
* Love According to Dalva (2023)
* Night Call and Soundtrack to a Coup d'Etat (2024)

* v
* t
* e

Cannes Film Festival Palme d'Or

1939–1975|

* Union Pacific (1939)
* No festival held (1940–1945)
* Brief Encounter (1946)
* The Last Chance (1946)
* The Lost Weekend (1946)
* María Candelaria (1946)
* Men Without Wings (1946)
* Neecha Nagar (1946)
* Pastoral Symphony (1946)
* The Red Meadows (1946)
* Rome, Open City (1946)
* Torment (1946)
* The Turning Point (1946)
* Antoine and Antoinette (1947)
* Crossfire (1947)
* The Damned (1947)
* Dumbo (1947)
* Ziegfeld Follies (1947)
* No festival held (1948)
* The Third Man (1949)
* No festival held (1950)
* Miracle in Milan (1951)
* Miss Julie (1951)
* Othello (1951)
* Two Cents Worth of Hope (1952)
* The Wages of Fear (1953)
* Gate of Hell (1954)
* Marty (1955)
* The Silent World (1956)
* Friendly Persuasion (1957)
* The Cranes Are Flying (1958)
* Black Orpheus (1959)
* La Dolce Vita (1960)
* The Long Absence (1961)
* Viridiana (1961)
* O Pagador de Promessas (1962)
* The Leopard (1963)
* The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964)
* The Knack ...and How to Get It (1965)
* The Birds, the Bees and the Italians (1966)
* A Man and a Woman (1966)
* Blowup (1967)
* Festival cancelled while in progress (1968)
* if.... (1969)
* M*A*S*H (1970)
* The Go-Between (1971)
* The Mattei Affair (1972)
* The Working Class Goes to Heaven (1972)
* The Hireling (1973)
* Scarecrow (1973)
* The Conversation (1974)
* Chronicle of the Years of Fire (1975)

1976–2000|

* Taxi Driver (1976)
* Padre Padrone (1977)
* The Tree of Wooden Clogs (1978)
* Apocalypse Now (1979)
* The Tin Drum (1979)
* All That Jazz (1980)
* Kagemusha (1980)
* Man of Iron (1981)
* Missing (1982)
* Yol (1982)
* The Ballad of Narayama (1983)
* Paris, Texas (1984)
* When Father Was Away on Business (1985)
* The Mission (1986)
* Under the Sun of Satan (1987)
* Pelle the Conqueror (1988)
* Sex, Lies, and Videotape (1989)
* Wild at Heart (1990)
* Barton Fink (1991)
* The Best Intentions (1992)
* Farewell My Concubine (1993)
* The Piano (1993)
* Pulp Fiction (1994)
* Underground (1995)
* Secrets & Lies (1996)
* The Eel (1997)
* Taste of Cherry (1997)
* Eternity and a Day (1998)
* Rosetta (1999)
* Dancer in the Dark (2000)

2001–present|

* The Son's Room (2001)
* The Pianist (2002)
* Elephant (2003)
* Fahrenheit 9/11 (2004)
* L'Enfant (2005)
* The Wind That Shakes the Barley (2006)
* 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days (2007)
* The Class (2008)
* The White Ribbon (2009)
* Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives (2010)
* The Tree of Life (2011)
* Amour (2012)
* Blue Is the Warmest Colour (2013)
* Winter Sleep (2014)
* Dheepan (2015)
* I, Daniel Blake (2016)
* The Square (2017)
* Shoplifters (2018)
* Parasite (2019)
* No festival held (2020)
* Titane (2021)
* Triangle of Sadness (2022)
* Anatomy of a Fall (2023)
* Anora (2024)
* It Was Just an Accident (2025)

* v
* t
* e

Belgian submissions for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film

* Le Départ (1967)
* Palaver (1969)
* Peace in the Fields (1970)
* The Lonely Killers (1972)
* The Conscript (1974)
* High Street (1976)
* Rubens (1977)
* Woman Between Wolf and Dog (1979)
* Le Grand Paysage d'Alexis Droeven (1981)
* Minuet (1982)
* Dust (1985)
* Jumping (1986)
* The Cruel Embrace (1987)
* The Music Teacher (1988)
* The Sacrament (1989)
* Toto the Hero (1991)
* Daens (1992)
* Just Friends (1993)
* Farinelli (1994)
* Manneken Pis (1995)
* The Eighth Day (1996)
* Ma vie en rose (1997)
* Rosie (1998)
* Rosetta (1999)
* Everybody's Famous! (2000)
* Pauline and Paulette (2001)
* The Son (2002)
* Sea of Silence (2003)
* The Alzheimer Case (2004)
* L'Enfant (2005)
* Someone Else's Happiness (2006)
* Ben X (2007)
* Eldorado (2008)
* The Misfortunates (2009)
* Illegal (2010)
* Bullhead (2011)
* Our Children (2012)
* The Broken Circle Breakdown (2013)
* Two Days, One Night (2014)
* The Brand New Testament (2015)
* The Ardennes (2016)
* Racer and the Jailbird (2017)
* Girl (2018)
* Our Mothers (2019)
* Working Girls (2020)
* Playground (2021)
* Close (2022)
* Omen (2023)
* Julie Keeps Quiet (2024)

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