Rosetta and Dans L'Obscurite

The short film the Dardenne brothers did for the collective movie Chacun son Cinema and Rosetta are stylistically similar. In both films, handheld cameras are used to follow the action of the actors and create a sense of movement in order to set a mood for the audience, as opposed to using music. The quality of both films is less that stellar; this combined with a slightly shaky camera creates a continious dischord which sets the mood for both films. A they both use Émilie Dequenne. The main kind of movement in both films strongly contrast with one another. In Rosetta, Rosetta is often found running or walking very briskly, whereas in Dans L’Obscurite the movement is very slow and controlled. Also, in Dans L’Obscurite, there is no dialogue between the two characters, while in Rosetta dialogue is used; however, dialogue was unnecessary for the short film.

The films are also thematically similar. In the film Rosetta, Rosetta essentially steals Riquet’s job by telling her boss that Riquet has been cheating him. In Dans L’Obscurite, the man is sneaking in the movie theater to try and steal the woman’s wallet. The means by which they steal are different, however. The man in the short film is very deliberate in his actions, making sure that the woman does not catch him, and snatches his hand away when he suspects that she might see him. In Rosetta, Rosetta at first does not want to go with her boss when he confronts Riquet, but then follows him and shows him where the waffles are; she doesn’t care whether or not Riquet finds out she cost him his job. In Dans L’Obscurite, the woman notices that the man is trying to steal her wallet while keeping her attention focused on the screen. She never looks at him; she takes his hand and puts it against her face all while crying through the film. In Rosetta, when Riquet initially reacts, he is furious, as would be expected. Later, as Rosetta is walking around the city, Riquet follows her on his motor bike, making it a point to maintain eye contact with her to intimidate her. The message with the man trying to steal the woman’s wallet, the woman taking the man’s hand and placing it on her face, and Rosetta resorting to snitching on her only friend is that in times of desperation, people will resort to drastic measures to achieve what they need or desire.