Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

For well over a decade, Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne have produced highly original and ethically charged films that immerse their audiences in an intense and embodied viewing experience. Their work has consistently attracted international recognition, including the rare feat of two Palmes d'Or at Cannes.

In this first book-length study of the Belgian brothers, Joseph Mai delivers sophisticated close analyses of their directorial style and explores the many philosophical issues dealt with in their films (especially the ethics of Emmanuel Levinas). Mai discusses the Dardennes' varied and searching career from its inception in the late 1970s, starting with the working-class political consciousness and lost utopias of their documentary period; passing through their transition toward fictional narrative, experimental techniques, and familial themes; and finishing with a series of in-depth and philosophically informed interpretations of the brothers' more recent work. In such highly influential films such as La promesse, Rosetta, The Son, and The Child, the brothers have recast filmmaking through what Mai calls a "sensuous realism"--realism capable of touching the audience with the most compelling problems and moral dilemmas of contemporary society. This volume also features an interview in which the Dardennes discuss their approach to film production and the direction of actors.

Reviews provided by Syndetics

CHOICE Review

In making their films, the Dardenne brothers aimed to alert the viewer to the physical world, people, and issues. Over their 30-year joint career, the Belgian filmmakers have moved from political documentaries about the marginalized to fictions concerned with the psychological effects of history on the individual. In this masterful, efficient study, Mai (French, Clemson Univ.) reviews their canon with sensitivity, insight, and respectful objectivity. In considering the films--giving closest scrutiny to features from La promesse (1996) to Le silence de Lorna (2008)--the author is attuned to the directors' ambitions, concerns, and technical choices, and he sheds light on pertinent social and political contexts. Mai includes his own translation of the Dardennes' 1999 interview, published in Cahiers du cinema, which was about their technical strategies and just-released Rosetta. As an introduction, this is an excellent once-over smartly. For a brief treatment of a dense subject, this book is a remarkable success and an excellent addition to the reliable "Contemporary Film Directors" series. Summing Up: Recommended. All readers. M. Yacowar emeritus, University of Calgary