The Belgian directorial team of brothers Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne are no strangers to Cannes. The two have taken home two prestigious Palme d'Or awards in the last six years, for "Rosetta" and "L'Enfant." This year, they presented audiences with "La Silence de Lorna (Lorna's Silence)," a moral tale concerning a young Albanian woman and her deal with Russian mobsters to gain Belgian citizenship. "La Silence de Lorna" is a well-paced drama that illustrates the guilt that is forced upon this woman by her powerlessness.

Lorna, an Albanian woman, is living in Belgium and married to junkie Claudy in order to become a citizen. After the Russian mafia carry out their plans for Claudy, Lorna will marry one of their comrades in order to make him a Belgian in turn. Lorna and her boyfriend Sokol plan to use the money to open up a snack shop. This all seems simple enough, until Claudy begs Lorna to help him stay clean and she begins to feel guilty about what the Russians have in store for him.

Lorna asks her handlers about getting a quickie divorce, which would be possible if she could prove that Claudy was an abusive husband, but the Russians are determined to stick with the original plan, even if they tell her otherwise. A sweet little love story between Lorna and the charming but helpless Claudy develops, only adding gravity to Lorna's later guilt. 

"La Silence de Lorna" marks the Dardenne brothers' first film not shot in their hometown of Seraing. The change of scenery to Liege allows for a more realistic vision of the world of immigrants struggling to stay alive by means that aren't always honest, or legal. A technically low-key film that hinges upon Lorna's inability to control her life, "La Silence de Lorna" strongly depends upon the performance by lead actress Dobroshi. With striking short black hair, Dobroshi rises to the challenge in her big screen debut and provides audiences with a hauntingly human portrayal of a trapped woman. 

The film moves slowly but never drags. The viewer learns information as Lorna does; as each piece is revealed, we must decide what the right thing to do is and if how we would react is different than how Lorna does. Her silence ultimately leads to her guilt and eventual madness, showing the Dardennes' ability to create intense drama with quiet pieces. "La Silence de Lorna" isn't a total downer; the film possesses a few moments of humor and idealized romance as Lorna and Claudy grow to like one another and then as Lorna tries to convince him to hit her to get the divorce. 

A large gap in time towards the end creates a jump from the film's former chronological structure to an unknown point in the future, leading to an ending that is certain to split audiences. As Lorna is further consumed by guilt, she begins to lose her mind, and this formerly strong and resolute character degrades into a fragile creature incapable of protecting herself. She escapes, but to what end?