Story Line: Thirteen-year-old Rosie (Coppens) feels neglected by her self-centered mother Irene (De Roo), who pretends to be Rosie's sister while romancing a new beau. Rosie becomes infatuated with handsome young Jimi (Wijnant) and engages in anti-social behavior that has serious consequences.
Bottom Line: Like much of the current arthouse product from Europe, Rosie is filmed in a spare, almost documentarian fashion, using bleak settings photographed with natural light. It eschews camera trickery and fancy editing, and, unencumbered by predictable narrative contrivances, develops an organic rhythm that allows its talented actors to create memorable characterizations. Coppens has a bewitching screen presence and the ability, rare in young performers, to project conflicting emotions in the same scene. Writer-director Toye neither glamorizes or exploits her young protagonist and makes Rosie's alienation not only understandable but palpable. There's a certain amount of shock value, so recommend it to those who like edgy fare, but look to the arthouse crowd for most of your rental action. --Ed Hulse