A well crafted Belgian film. Albanian immigrants to Belgium, Lorna and her boyfriend Sokol are interested in setting up a little cafe, but need money and citizenship to make it happen. Sokol becomes and industrial migrant worker across Europe to earn his share while Lorna earns her cash through a "marriage for paperwork" scheme. The details of the story are revealed slowly throughout the film as the business arrangement between Lorna and her husband Claudy becomes an actual relationship. What I like about this film is how the initial goals (pursuit of success and happiness) are derailed because the goal becomes so important that it supersedes any other morality. The tension is built when Lorna realizes that her morals have been reordered by her own action and inaction, and we see one possible future result.
While this is not an explicit attack on capitalism or the west, it is definitely a cautionary tale about pursuit of a single goal at all cost, no matter how right or good that goal may be. And while we have recently seen in this country that such pursuit can have professional ramifications for those business-persons involved, Lorna's Silence is a vivid reminder of the deeply personal and emotional impact of "business" decisions we make.
5-stars (out of 5)
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment