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'L'Enfant': Growing up isn't easy, even for parents

Within moments of meeting Bruno (a Belmondo-ish Jérémie Renier), it's clear he, not the baby he just had with his 18-year-old girlfriend, Sonia (Déborah François), is the title character in "L'Enfant," which took the top prize at Cannes last year.

Sony Pictures Classics 'L'Enfant' B The verdict: A gritty redemption tale that slowly pulls you into its world. Director: Jean-Pierre Dardenne, Luc Dardenne Starring: Jérémie Renier, Déborah François, Olivier Gourmet, Fabrizio Rongione, Jeremie Segard Run time: 95 minutes Release date: March 24, 2006 Rating: Not rated. Language: In French with English subtitles. See showtimes On the web Official movie site View the trailer    Trailers require Quicktime Rate 'L'Enfant'   Go see it   Make it a matinee   Wait to rent   Don't bother Voter Limit: Once per Hour View Poll Results

Co-directed by brothers Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne, the movie showcases their trademark predilection for dingy urban settings and minimalist emotions. But it sneaks up on you, ultimately having more impact than you might've expected from the slow going and distressed circumstances.

Set in a gloomy industrialized mid-size city in Belgium, the picture begins with Sonia bringing 9-day-old Jimmy home to meet his dad, Bruno — only to find that, in her absence, he's sublet their apartment. For Bruno, a penny-ante thief who also acts as a kind of Fagin to a couple of underage Artful Dodgers, everything is for sale (or sublet). Including Jimmy, whom he nonchalantly hands over to a black-market adoption ring for a wad of cash.

Bruno's rationale: He and Sonia can have another one — sort of like getting a new puppy to replace the one that ran away. But when he tells Sonia what he's done, she goes into shock and has to be hospitalized.

It would be funny — Honey, I sold the kid— if it weren't so appalling. The Dardennes clearly see it both ways. That duality defines the picture's tone. For instance, earlier in the film Sonia hitches a ride on a motorcycle, cradling baby Jimmy in her arms as she speeds down the city streets without a helmet or anything to hold on to. You don't know whether to gasp or laugh.

Probably both, if you're into the brothers (earlier films: "Rosetta" and "The Son"). But bringing back baby, as Bruno decides to do, is just the beginning of his troubles as he struggles his way toward something approximating a conscience.

The movie works on you slowly, subtly. Suddenly you realize Bruno's a lot more handsome when he's being an immoral little charmer than he is when he's sad or worried or afraid. Almost imperceptibly, he goes from rogue to weakling and then into someone better than he was at the beginning of the film. And Sonia, who can be pretty childish herself, grows into a fiercely protective mother.

"L'Enfant" doesn't make it easy on an audience. There are long, listless stretches, and the characters are more observed than explored. Yet, by the end, Bruno and Sonia have connected with us. You want to give them a second chance. Amazing, when only an hour earlier you wouldn't have given them a second look.