Arta Dobroshi is exceptional as the lead in the Dardenne brothers' 'Lorna's Silence'. Her performance carries the film as she is in every scene in some part. As usual in a Dardenne film, physical display, particularly facial expression, say as much as any of the dialogue. For Dobroshi's part, there's little of that dialogue that communicates as well as her eyes as the title keeper of secrets. Her gaze in this film shifts from the static affect of one denying access to looks of concern, compassion and finally determination. Dobroshi's skilled acting more than makes up for shortcomings in the screenplay. We find out that Lorna is Albanian immigrant attempting to scam her way into Belgian citizenship. She has married a Belgian named Claudy played by Jérémie Renier, offering him cash for residency. They will divorce shortly later, according to the plan. As arranged by a gangster named Fabio (Fabrizio Rongione), Lorna is supposed to then marry a Russian man who will use her newly acquired citizenship to achieve his own Belgium citizenry. Lorna will then divorce the Russian and marry her true love, boyfriend Sokol (Alban Ukaj), with whom she has dreams of owning and operating their own snack bar. This sketchy plan that works in theory, but impatience and other issues complicate the scheme. Fabio decides that snuffing out Claudy would be faster than divorce for Lorna, and thus the money from the Russian. Besides, who's gonna miss junkie, right? Lorna's expressions tell us this is not going to be that easy as Claudy has become more than a mere patsy to her. She warms up to him, but it's really his desperation and innocence that reaches her. Claudy is just a pay day to Fabio and his henchmen. Lorna realizes that's likely her ultimate her fate as well. What she does next is fueled as much by a determination not to be silenced as it is from guilt. But her head is a mess of desperation to keep her head above water, guilt for Claudy, and her conviction that she is now pregnant with his child. Not one of the Dardennes' best films, but 'Lorna's Silence' is a success as much or more due to Dobroshi's stellar acting as the story line or directing. 3.4 stars

Lorna didn't seem all that silent if you ask me. I found this movie quite convincing and well acted however it was too slow for my taste and it didn't really give a moral I think.

Slow-paced but effective drama of the harsh luck of immigrants

une leçon de cinéma, techniquement incroyable (caméra à l'épaule exceptionnelle !)

Debroshi anchors a film that is somber and slowly-paced .

A cold, bleak Belgian film that gives equal importance both to what is not seen and heard and what is. "Lorna's Silence" is a rigid character study by the Dardenne brothers that will be challenging to many. The goal here was seemingly to reflect on the power of absence and silence, and while this focus makes it feel weightless and even pointless at times, these are intentional design choices that offer up food for thought with varying degrees of success.

The realistic style of the the Dardenne brothers' films (this is the second one I've seen) makes you feel for their characters, people who lead fragile existences on the outskirts of European society, even if you can't admire the tough choices their poverty and circumstances force upon them. The acting is and direction are always good, as well, making them an interesting watch.

Some of the best performances I've ever seen.

This is the only film done by Dardenne Brothers with positive approach in this dark world. The woman,Lorna's transgression for the helpless fake husband of her makes herself more mature person and realise the actual inhuman objectives of her friends and worker in the racket. Then at the end, the woman's character alienates from the real world and leaves a deep impression about the suffering of a common people.

While Lorna's Silence isn't perfect, it works more effectively than the Dardenne's other efforts due to better film making and great performances

mooie film van eigen bodem!

My least favorite Dardenne, but still very good. They can't make a bad film. This is a flawed film but there are such wonderful things. And it's such a unique and beautiful attempt.

"Lorna's Silence" is one of those typically artsy European films. It's hardly the easiest thing to sit through, but it's generally rewarding if you can do it. The titular Lorna is a flawed character. While she shows more heart than Fabio, due to her treatment of token husband Claudy, she is revealed to be mentally unstable, due to her plot line revolving her "pregnancy". The film won awards at Cannes and it's easy to see why, although not all of the plotlines are explained overly well.

Lorna's Silence is a gripping and dark drama that explores the dark depths of the human soul, but also exploring the more benevolent aspects of the human soul. The story follows a woman named Lorna who is married to a junkie whom she has grown to hate and want out of her life. The plot? The junkie must die, so Lorna can be with her true love, marry an infamous Russian mobster (Who is not her true love, by the way) to get him a citizenship, and in doing so, she and her lover will be paid a generous sum of money to open a snack bar and supposedly live happily ever after. The execution of this plot however, is not so easy, as Lorna is troubled by it and she finds herself stuck deep in the mire of the criminal underworld from which she might not escape. Everything she touches and tries to save seems to be destroyed by her for her greed and actions. It's a beautiful and dark drama about what people will do for money, but it's also a compelling insight about struggling with inner demons and redemption. It's a drama that had me glued to me seat from beginning to end because I was so absorbed by both the story and the sublime acting, especially from lead actress, Arta Dobroshi as Lorna. It's a hard-hitting drama about the human soul that doesn't hold back and I admired it for that. Lorna's Silence is one of the great, underrated films of the century.

Gosh talk about over complicating a plot - we sat there struggling to get a grip on the story line and at the end wondered why we even bothered

good twisty turny drama

Dark, intense stuff.

The Belgian duo did it again.

Europe might be united on the paper, but it still has centuries to go before its migration policies are based on: All people should be treated equally. Europe still likes its foreigner-free zones and by doing that, those "illegal" foreigners are forced into all sorts of criminal activities!

interesting story but it never pans out and the character of lorna gets old and is simply uninteresting.