La Fille inconnue (2016)
Directed by Jean-Pierre Dardenne, Luc Dardenne

Film Review

With La Fille inconnue acclaimed Belgian directors Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne revisit some of their favourite themes from the angle of a criminal intrigue that would be more likely to come from the pen of the directors' fellow countryman Georges Simenon.  It's not quite the classic police procedural but neither is it the pared back character-based drama we have come to expect of the Dardennes, although its social messages are easily discerned.  A young doctor's personal quest for atonement after a lapse of moral judgement serves to reflect society's inability to adequately engage with the problems of those living on the margins.  The epithet of the 'unknown girl' of the film's title could as equally be applied to the film's heroine as it does to the stranger whose identity she becomes obsessed with uncovering, and in this portrait of a committed medical practitioner who forces herself into an unfamiliar world of social deprivation and criminal exploitation the Dardennes hold a mirror up to a society that pretends to be concerned with social issues but is completely impotent when it comes to resolving them.

Following a pattern established in several previous films by the Dardennes, La Fille inconnue revolves around a single strong-willed female protagonist - this time played by Adèle Haenel (winner of the Best Actress César in 2014) - who is committed to a personal crusade.  On this occasion, it is a crusade driven more by a sense of moral duty than necessity, so there is less at stake and consequently the film doesn't quite have the same focus and visceral impact of the directors' previous Rosetta (1999) and Deux jours, une nuit (2014), where personal survival not conscience-salving is the motivating factor.  Despite the utter conviction that Haenel brings to her performance her character remains something of an enigma throughout.  Apart from a burning necessity to do 'the right thing' it is hard to see what motivates her to give up a possibly glittering medical career so that she can continue running a small practice in an obscure town where no one appreciates her, nor do we fully understand why she is so overcome with guilt that she risks everything by going off on a mad investigation into a woman she never even met.  It all feels a little too vague and contrived to ring true, although those who may have been put off by the Dardennes' work in the past may warm to a more accessible film that toys with familiar genre motifs.

Whilst the film is let down somewhat by a script that is heavy in plot and deficient in character depth, it is as thought-provoking and impressively directed as any previous film from the Dardenne stable - and just as effective in expressing its authors' social concerns.  The drab Liège setting and even drabber characters that inhabit it provide a depressing picture of a fragmented community where no one seems capable of engaging with the problems of others and where the scale of human misery grows relentlessly.  Haenel's character symbolises the conscience of that minority that are in a position to make a difference, and the difficulty she faces in making that difference explains why social divisions continue to widen in spite of an increasing awareness of the underlying issues.  La Fille inconnue is an eloquent cri de conscience that is sadly stifled by a plot that doesn't quite manage to marry its social realist and genre elements.

With greater emphasis placed on the plot, the Dardennes neglect the characterisation somewhat, with the result that few of the secondary characters have any substance and some veer too close to flagrant caricature (Dardenne regulars Jérémie Renier and Olivier Gourmet are completely wasted in two thankless minor roles).  Once again, the directors have their lead actress to thank for elevating their film above the level of a mundane social drama, and so whilst the narrative overall fails to impress there are some moments of extraordinary dramatic power along the way - some incredibly bruising to watch, others (notably one that comes right at the end) totally heart-wrenching.  The Dardennes' first tentative foray into genre territory is hardly an unqualified success but it may help to broaden their appeal and allow others to see the world through their eyes, and that surely cannot be a bad thing.

Film Synopsis

Jenny Davin is a young doctor who runs a small medical practice in an ordinary town in Liège.  One evening, just as she is winding down after a hard day's work, a young woman calls at her surgery but Jenny, too tired to see another patient, refuses to admit her.  A few hours later, the same young woman is found dead by the river nearby, and there is nothing on her person to identify her.  When she hears of this, Jenny becomes concerned and feels compelled to find out more about the unfortunate stranger.  She is shocked by the reluctance of the police to take an interest in the matter, so, driven by her own feelings of guilt, Jenny begins her own investigation to uncover the woman's identity and the events that led to her death.  It seems that no one is willing to help her in her quest, and some of the people she approaches turn hostile when she begins to question them.  Undeterred, Jenny continues her investigation, hoping that by doing so she will make up for the mistake she made in turning the woman away in her hour of need...