Rosetta

The Belgian filmmaking team of brothers Luc and Jean-Pierre Dardenne turned heads with Rosetta, an intense vérité drama that closely follows a poor young woman struggling to hold on to a job to support herself and her alcoholic mother. It’s a swift and simple tale made revelatory by the raw, empathetic way in which the directors render Rosetta’s desperation, keeping the camera nearly perched on her shoulder throughout. Many have copied the Dardennes’ style, but few have equaled it. This ferocious film won big at Cannes, earning the Palme d’Or for the filmmakers and the best actress prize for the indomitable Émilie Dequenne.

Film Info

  • Belgium
  • 1999
  • 93 minutes
  • Color
  • 1.66:1
  • French
  • Spine #621

Director-Approved Special Edition Features

  • New, restored high-definition digital transfer, supervised by director of photography Alain Marcoen, with 2.0 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack
  • Conversation between film critic Scott Foundas and filmmakers Luc and Jean-Pierre Dardenne * New interview piece featuring actors Émilie Dequenne and Olivier Gourmet
  • Trailer
  • New English subtitle translation
  • PLUS: A new essay by film critic Kent Jones

    New cover by Eric Skillman

Purchase Options

Director-Approved Special Edition Features

  • New, restored high-definition digital transfer, supervised by director of photography Alain Marcoen, with 2.0 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack
  • Conversation between film critic Scott Foundas and filmmakers Luc and Jean-Pierre Dardenne * New interview piece featuring actors Émilie Dequenne and Olivier Gourmet
  • Trailer
  • New English subtitle translation
  • PLUS: A new essay by film critic Kent Jones

    New cover by Eric Skillman
Rosetta
Cast
Emilie Dequenne
Rosetta
Fabrizio Rongione
Riquet
Anne Yernaux
Mother
Olivier Gourmet
Boss
Credits
Director
Luc Dardenne
Director
Jean-Pierre Dardenne
Written by
Luc Dardenne
Written by
Jean-Pierre Dardenne
Produced by
Luc Dardenne
Produced by
Jean-Pierre Dardenne
Produced by
Michèle Pétin
Produced by
Laurent Pétin
First assistant director
Bernard Garant
Director of photography
Alain Marcoen
Camera operator
Benoît Dervaux
Sound recordist
Jean-Pierre Duret
Editor
Marie-Hélène Dozo
Sound mixing
Thomas Gauder
Production design
Igor Gabriel
Wardrobe
Monic Parelle
Makeup
Tina Kopecka

Current

Rosetta: Radical Economy
Rosetta: Radical Economy

The camera never stops moving in the Dardenne brothers’ portrait of a troubled teenage girl desperate for a job.

By Kent Jones

Blerta Basholli’s Top 10
Blerta Basholli’s Top 10

The Sundance-award-winning director of Hive highlights films of extraordinary emotional impact, including work by Ken Loach, Wong Kar Wai, and Wim Wenders.

Sean Baker’s Top 10
Sean Baker’s Top 10

Sean Baker is a writer/director and cocreator of the television show Greg the Bunny. His movies include Prince of Broadway (2008), Starlet (2012), and Tangerine (2015).