Word: beyond
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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...liberal. I can just say that flat out, as if it's some key to my personality, which it is. My liberalism is not necessarily actively political--not a matter of student government or political journalism (beyond the occasional casual column). It's more just a part of my identity, a part of my history, a system of values and a way of looking at the world...
...work, but is continually turned down. The search continues, eventually becoming an obsession in her young life, to the point that Rosetta loses touch with her mother, her best friend, and eventually herself. Fortunately, in examining the minute details of this deplorable world, the narrative begins to extrapolate beyond mere plot points, and becomes a searing indictment of the system that Rosetta attempts to indict...
...fact that Rosetta appears in every scene, lends to what is initially bizarre behavior--running helter-skelter through a factory simply because she was fired. The film creates a sense of continuity, because the world, from our view, does not exist as the town, her work or anything beyond Rosetta's skewed perspective. Tight camera work creates comfort, which transmutates into sympathy, although the Dardennes do not actively court affection. Rosetta makes uncomfortable choices, but, instead of condemning her character, blame is firmly placed on her society...
...Ultimately, however, Hoffman and De Niro are stymied by the limitations of the film's concept. Flawless just doesn't have enough to say. Because it never ventures beyond the audiences expectations, it fails to challenge. And so it fails to truly entertain. Flawless preaches that we should look beneath the surface. Too bad the film didn't take its own advice...
...course, it makes sense - loneliness is the enemy for most here, and this place can be hard on what they call the "mental housing," especially for the de-feminized females whose boyfriends have stopped writing. But for those far beyond high school - and thus for the most part far beyond needing clamor to keep one's mind off this place's occasional rigors - it's the clamor that threatens to corner...