Fabrizio Rongione Movies

An Albanian woman living in Belgium finds her dreams of opening a snack bar with her boyfriend leading to tragedy after she agrees to marry a Russian Mafioso in order to gain citizenship. All Lorna wanted was to start a small business with her loving boyfriend, but in order to make that happen she would first have to gain citizenship. Local mobster Fabio claims that he can make that happen if Lorna agrees to a sham marriage with a man named Claudy. After gaining Belgian citizenship, Lorna discovers that a high-profile Russian Mafioso is also seeking legal entry into Belgium, and soon. He's willing to pay a hearty sum in order to marry Lorna, but in order for that second marriage to be possible Fabio will have to have Claudy killed. Will Lorna be able to remain silent as Fabio's deadly plot unfolds, and what will become of her if Fabio finds out that she has warned Claudy of the impending danger he faces? ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

A convict and the girl who occasionally comes to play Scrabble with him form a curious connection in this drama from director Stefano Pasetto. As they sit on opposite sides of the game board, the pair gradually finds their conversation drifting into the past. The outside world is only an illusion, and neither have much interest in following the social norms that define that world. While she is a student of medicine who dabbled in many careers before qualifying, he has always found solace in photography. They met on the metro, where he would stare at her back daydreaming and she would bask in the warmth of his gaze. Eventually, fate brought them together. Later, a fleeting moment of happiness is followed by an unexpected split and both begin to understand the true meaning of destiny. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

From the directors of the critically acclaimed La Promesse (1996) comes this stark portrayal of a young woman coming of age at the edge of social oblivion. Rosetta (Émilie Dequenne) lives in a tiny, beat-up trailer without toilets or running water with her alcoholic, irresponsible, and utterly dispirited mother, who requires her frequent care. Rosetta longs to have a "normal" life and become a productive member of society, but even this modest goal seems beyond her grasp. Quietly terrified that she will slide into the abyss like her mother, she wages a desperate, purely instinctive battle to lift herself out of her wretched, semi-feral existence. At the film's outset, she is bodily removed from her job at a food factory; for much of the rest of the film, her attempts to gain employment are thwarted by the callousness and indifference of others. The only person to show any kind of sympathy is Riquet (Fabrizio Rongione), who ekes out a pittance at a waffle stand while secretly skimming profits from his boss. Though his awkward attempts to gain her interest go unacknowledged by the barely socialized Rosetta, the two develop something like a friendship. Later in the movie, however, her loyalty to her new-found friend clashes with her all-consuming desire for a job. First-time actress Dequenne, who spent time in a similarly harsh environment to prepare for the role, won the Best Actress prize at the 1999 Cannes Film Festival. This film also won the coveted Palme d'Or at Cannes and was screened at the 1999 Toronto Film Festival. ~ Jonathan Crow, Rovi