Lornas Silence

 

Lorna’s Silence (2008)

NEUTRAL
Amazon, Google Play, YouTube, Vudu, iTunes, Microsoft Store
Movie Reviews84%
R
2008, Drama, 1h 35m
RT Critics’ Score: 85% (UNBIASED)
RT Audience Score: 76%
Awards & Nominations: 3 wins & 11 nominations

 

Critics Consensus

Subtle and emotionally bleak, this gripping thriller features the Dardenne brothers’ recognizable penchant for realism and very strong performances
 

Audience Consensus

Lorna’s Silence is like a game of Jenga, where each block is a tiny detail that slowly builds up to a heart-wrenching climax. The Dardenne brothers’ portrayal of a woman caught in the middle of a dangerous scheme is both beautiful and haunting. It’s not a Hollywood thriller with a predictable plot, but rather a slow-burning character study that will leave you thinking long after the credits roll. Plus, the casting of the previously unknown Dobroshi is a stroke of genius. Overall, Lorna’s Silence is a must-watch for anyone who appreciates artful cinema.
 
Movie Trailer

Movie Info

Storyline

Lorna, an Albanian woman living in Belgium, marries a local junkie for legal residency and collaborates with a low-life cab driver to marry a Russian mobster, but she soon finds herself enmeshed in a threatening underworld.

 
Production Company(ies)
Highline Pictures, Camera One Endless Picnic
 
Distributor
Sony Pictures Classics
 
Release Type

 
Filming Location(s)
Seraing, Liège, Wallonia, Belgium
 
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for brief sexuality/nudity, and language
 
Year of Release
2008
 

Technical Specs
  • Color:
    Color
  • Sound mix:
    Dolby Digital
  • Aspect ratio:
    1.85 : 1
  • Runtime:
    1h 35m
  • Language(s):
    French, Albanian, Russian
  • Country of origin:
    United States
  • Release date:
    Release Date (Theaters): Jul 31, 2009 Limited
    Release Date (Streaming): Dec 22, 2009

 
Genre(s)
Drama
 
Keyword(s)
Lorna’s Silence, Arta Dobroshi, Jérémie Renier, Fabrizio Rongione, Alban Ukaj, Morgan Marinne, Olivier Gourmet, Jean-Pierre Dardenne, Luc Dardenne, written by Jean-Pierre Dardenne, Luc Dardenne, drama, R rating, Sony Pictures Classics, box office gross, $337.7K, reviewed by Keith Uhlich, Marjorie Baumgarten, Rene Rodriguez, Calvin Wilson, Peter Howell, John Anderson, David Walsh, Richard Propes, Dan DiNicola, Graham Fuller, Martin Tsai, Michael Joshua Rowin, audience score, 69%, legal residency, Russian mobster, Belgian, cafe, junkie, cab driver, thriller, realism, subtle, emotionally bleak, strong performances
 

Box Office Details

Worldwide gross: $5,123,676
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $7,057,668
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,072
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 769,648
 
US/Canada gross: $338,795
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $466,677
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,344
US/Canada opening weekend: $34,411
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $47,400
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,228
 
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): NA
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): NA
Production budget ranking: NA
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA

 
Movie Cast & Crew

Cast & Crew

Arta DobroshiJérémie RenierFabrizio RongioneAlban UkajMorgan Marinne
Arta Dobroshi
Jérémie Renier
Fabrizio Rongione
Alban Ukaj
Morgan Marinne
Lorna
Claudy Moreau
Fabio
Sokol
Spirou
Arta Dobroshi – Lorna
Jérémie Renier – Claudy Moreau
Fabrizio Rongione – Fabio
Alban Ukaj – Sokol
Morgan Marinne – Spirou
Olivier Gourmet – L’inspecteur
Jean-Pierre Dardenne – Director, Producer, Writer
Luc Dardenne – Director, Producer, Writer
Denis Freyd – Producer

 

Jean-Pierre DardenneJean-Pierre DardenneJean-Pierre DardenneLuc DardenneDenis Freyd
Jean-Pierre Dardenne
Jean-Pierre Dardenne
Jean-Pierre Dardenne
Luc Dardenne
Denis Freyd
Director
Writer
Producer
Producer
Producer

Director(s)
Jean-Pierre Dardenne, Luc Dardenne
 
Writer(s)
Jean-Pierre Dardenne, Luc Dardenne
 
Producer(s)
Jean-Pierre Dardenne, Luc Dardenne, Denis Freyd

 
Movie Reviews & Awards
Film Festivals

 
Awards & Nominations
3 wins & 11 nominations
 
Academy Awards

 

Top Reviews
Keith UhlichMarjorie BaumgartenRene RodriguezCalvin WilsonPeter Howell
Keith Uhlich
Marjorie Baumgarten
Rene Rodriguez
Calvin Wilson
Peter Howell
Time Out
Austin Chronicle
Miami Herald
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Toronto Star
LORNA’S SILENCE
 All Critics (98) | Top Critics (38) | Fresh (83) | Rotten (15)
 A soul-crushing weight rests upon Lorna (Dobroshi), the Albanian-immigrant heroine of the Dardenne brothers’ stunning proletarian character study.
 
 November 17, 2011 | Rating: 5/5
 
 Keith Uhlich
 Time Out
 TOP CRITIC
 Lorna’s Silence echoes long after the movie ends.
 
 September 11, 2009 | Rating: 3/5
 
 Marjorie Baumgarten
 Austin Chronicle
 TOP CRITIC
 Lorna’s Silence doesn’t work, but it’s a beautiful misfire.
 
 September 3, 2009 | Rating: 2.5/4
 
 Rene Rodriguez
 Miami Herald
 TOP CRITIC
 As filmmakers, the Dardennes are more concerned with probing the causes of crime than in glamorizing it.
 
 September 3, 2009 | Rating: 3/4
 
 Calvin Wilson
 St. Louis Post-Dispatch
 TOP CRITIC
 In casting the previously unknown Dobroshi, the brothers approach greatness with their lean portrait of simple humanity tested by desire and driven desperate by circumstances.
 
 August 28, 2009 | Rating: 3/4
 
 Peter Howell
 Toronto Star
 TOP CRITIC
 The story within Lorna’s Silence is built on tiny increments of tantalizing details, meted out in penurious droplets and with chest-tightening tension that suggests that what the brothers wanted to be when they grew up were boa constrictors.
 
 August 28, 2009
 
 John Anderson
 Washington Post
 TOP CRITIC
 The filmmakers tend to confuse flatness with realism. For the most part, the characters are unappealing and the brothers treat them coldly.
 
 February 13, 2021
 
 David Walsh
 World Socialist Web Site
 The Dardenne’s are unafraid to show the darkness of humanity.
 
 September 14, 2020 | Rating: 3.5/4.0
 
 Richard Propes
 TheIndependentCritic.com
 In a Hollywood thriller, we might encounter a conniving wife in league with a vicious gang of con men. Here, the Dardenne brothers, Jean-Pierre and Luc, contrive a richer scenario.
 
 January 23, 2018
 
 Dan DiNicola
 The Daily Gazette (Schenectady, NY)
 The noirish ambience (if not style) underscores the heinousness of those who traffic in human lives for their own ends-a central tenet of the Dardennes’ work.
 
 August 15, 2017
 
 Graham Fuller
 Artforum
 Still, what initially promises to be a morality tale doesn’t really have any messages to speak of about immigration, womanhood, poverty, humanity or anything else for that matter.
 
 October 7, 2015
 
 Martin Tsai
 Critic’s Notebook
 Lorna’s Silence is not only a beautiful film, but also one that moves the filmmakers’ art forward a small step or two — a tectonic shift for these art cinema old faithfuls.
 
 August 2, 2015
 
 Michael Joshua Rowin
 Stop Smiling…

 
Movie Plot & More
Plot
Lorna, an Albanian woman living in Belgium, marries a local junkie for legal residency and collaborates with a low-life cab driver to marry a Russian mobster, but she soon finds herself enmeshed in a threatening underworld.
 
Trivia

 
Goofs / Tidbits
There is no goofy or funny or odd comment about the film Lorna’s Silence on Fresh Kernels.
 
Movie Links Wikipedia and Rotten Tomatoes

Links
Wikipedia: Go to Wiki
Rotten Tomatoes: Go to RT

 
Where to Watch

 
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