Lorna's Silence

2008 Drama

An Albanian woman living in Belgium finds her dreams of opening a snack bar with her boyfriend leading to tragedy after she agrees to marry a Russian Mafioso in order to gain citizenship. All Lorna wanted was to start a small business with her loving boyfriend, but in order to make that happen she would first have to gain citizenship. Local mobster Fabio claims that he can make that happen if Lorna agrees to a sham marriage with a man named Claudy. After gaining Belgian citizenship, Lorna discovers that a high-profile Russian Mafioso is also seeking legal entry into Belgium, and soon. He's willing to pay a hearty sum in order to marry Lorna, but in order for that second marriage to be possible Fabio will have to have Claudy killed. Will Lorna be able to remain silent as Fabio's deadly plot unfolds, and what will become of her if Fabio finds out that she has warned Claudy of the impending danger he faces? more..

Director: Jean-Pierre Dardenne

Starring: Arta Dobroshi, Jeremie Renier, Fabrizio Rongione, Alban Ukaj, Morgan Marinne

Reviews

  • A gritty, deceptively low-key, no-fuss, no-frills movie of consistent originality and surprise in which suspense arises straight up from the heroine's evolving character.

    Kevin Thomas - Los Angeles Times

    19 January 2013

  • A stunning study of one desperate woman's conscience.

    Lisa Schwarzbaum - Entertainment Weekly

    19 January 2013

  • Lorna's Silence is engrossing and powerful, which may be just another way of saying it's a film by the Dardenne brothers. If it falls a bit short of the standards of their best work, that is only because it is not quite a masterpiece.

    A.O. Scott - The New York Times

    19 January 2013

  • Renierâ??s performance is the best thing in the movie, although all the actors, cast partly for their faces, are part of creating this desperate world.

    Roger Ebert - The Chicago Sun-Times

    19 January 2013

  • The Dardennes resist the expected cliches: The climactic scenes gather force and purpose and the movie seems headed for a breakthrough of some sort, but then it glides softly and unexpectedly to a halt.

    Ty Burr - The Boston Globe

    19 January 2013

Awards

  • Best International Film

    Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films (2010)

     
  • Jean-Pierre Dardenne

    Cannes Film Festival (2008)

  • Best Foreign Film (Meilleur film étranger)

    César Awards, France (2009)

     
  • Best Actress

    European Film Awards (2008)

     
  • Best French Language Film (Meilleur film francophone)

    Lumiere Awards, France (2009)