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Rosetta
Metascore
76 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 19 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 16 out of 19
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 19
  3. Negative: 0 out of 19
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  1. Entertainment Weekly
    Reviewed by: Lisa Schwarzbaum
    100
    Rosetta is a character of raw pride in a film of lingering power.
  2. Chicago Reader
    Reviewed by: Jonathan Rosenbaum
    90
    You feel it in your nervous system before you get a chance to reflect on its meaning.
  3. Chicago Sun-Times
    Reviewed by: Roger Ebert
    88
    The film has an odd subterranean power. It doesn't strive for our sympathy or make any effort to portray Rosetta as colorful, winning or sympathetic.
  4. New York Daily News
    Reviewed by: Jami Bernard
    88
    An immensely uplifting movie whose final, unforgettable frames come as close as anything to answering the big questions about why we bother in a dog-eat-dog world.
  5. Boston Globe
    Reviewed by: Jay Carr
    88
    The bleakness of Rosetta will not be for all, but it's one of the best films of the year.
  6. Mr. Showbiz
    Reviewed by: Richard Jameson
    87
    The final reel of Rosetta is like nothing else ever filmed, and it would be wrong to describe it.
  7. Seattle Post-Intelligencer
    Reviewed by: Paula Nechak
    83
    This devastating film is buoyed by Dequenne's bravura willingness to go all out; she's a baby-faced kid when the camera focuses full on and an exceptionally beautiful young woman in profile.
  8. Film.com
    Reviewed by: Peter Brunette
    80
    This kind of film, in its various manifestations recurring through the decades, gives us confidence that cinema can ultimately get to the heart of things.
  9. Los Angeles Times
    Reviewed by: Kenneth Turan
    80
    Grabs you by the throat and won't let go.
  10. Slate
    Reviewed by: David Edelstein
    80
    Throughout this terse, entertaining parable (it won the grand prize at this year's Cannes Film Festival), the Belgian-born writer-directors Luc and Jean-Pierre Dardenne ("La Promesse," 1996) immerse you in the sensations of Rosetta's life.
  11. Time
    Reviewed by: Richard Corliss
    80
    The purity of Dequenne's performance inspires awe.
  12. Christian Science Monitor
    Reviewed by: David Sterritt
    75
    Carries a strong emotional charge along with its valuable reminder of the suffering that youngsters may undergo when a heedless society overlooks their needs.
  13. New York Post
    Reviewed by: Jonathan Foreman
    75
    Bleak, demanding stuff, and its hand-held documentary-style photography is harder on the stomach than "The Blair Witch Project."
  14. San Francisco Chronicle
    Reviewed by: Edward Guthmann
    75
    The film's loose, scaled-down technique never turns gimmicky...but enhances the tension and intimacy of Rosetta's struggle.
  15. TV Guide
    Reviewed by: Ken Fox
    70
    A psychologically acute profile of one teenaged girl obsessed with leading what she thinks of as normal life.
  16. Village Voice
    Reviewed by: J. Hoberman
    70
    Pummeling, jagged, and extremely well-edited film.
  17. L.A. Weekly
    Reviewed by: Manohla Dargis
    60
    A portrait of dispossession so acute that it's caused a few critics to cry, Let her eat cake!
  18. The New York Times
    Reviewed by: Stephen Holden
    60
    Instead of feeling universal, the movie feels claustrophobic.
  19. Portland Oregonian
    Reviewed by: Shawn Levy
    42
    The Dardennes are talents, clearly. Watching Rosetta is like watching them flip you the bird.
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User Reviews

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User Score
9.1 out of 10

Universal acclaim- based on 7 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2 out of 2
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 2
  3. Negative: 0 out of 2
  1. JackG.
    10
    Any review that takes a cheap shot at the character's appearance (as well as a cheap assessment of her intellect that's totally off the mark) can't be trusted.… Full Review »
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