Lorna's Silence (Le silence de Lorna - 2008)

I want foreign films to be embraced in our middle-America, middle-size metropolis, embraced enough that there will choices of screening times, especially my beloved matinees, which don't interfere with socializing, dinner, or sleep. I usually love foreign films, with their different pacings and locations, and the opportunity to learn new words in other languages. But I am sorry to report that neither Jack nor I liked this much (I did learn a few insults in French, but I've forgotten them already). Sorry because I seem to be agreeing with the hating reviewers instead of the judges at Cannes and elsewhere. And sorry because I really liked L'enfant (The Child), by the same Belgian writer/director brothers, Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne, in 2005. Those Cannes judges especially liked the script, but we found the plot hard to follow, especially at the end. Even some self-professed Dardenne fans on the imdb message boards were confused. Albanian actress Arta Dobroshi is lovely and tortured as Lorna, who is caught up in a green card (it's probably something else in Belgium, maybe a blue card?) scam, and Jérémie Renier (L'enfant, In Bruges (2008), Summer Hours) is just plain tortured as the junkie, Claudy; and I hope to see more of them in different material. Sorry sorry sorry. To the theatres: please keep showing the non-blockbuster imports. I promise we'll buy tickets.