Codie Allen fade in, breathe out (Substack) Aug 7, 2025

Émilie Dequenne’s performance in Rosetta is a masterclass in subtlety and depth, capturing the essence of the character with a raw intensity that resonates long after the film ends.

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Farah Cheded A Good Movie To Watch Oct 28, 2023

A harrowing slice of social realism [...] told with relentless urgency.

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Ellie Lucas From the Front Row Aug 6, 2019 3.5/4

The Dardennes convey so much using so little, the seemingly strung together nature of the film ultimately containing a very specific and carefully plotted structure that brings a gravity to even the most mundane of events.

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Kaleem Aftab The List Apr 13, 2019 5/5

A marvelous exposition of the continuing importance of cinema highlighting social barriers and conflict.

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Rob Humanick Slant Magazine Nov 12, 2012 4/4

There's something genuinely religious in Rosetta's stark portrayal of unyielding resurrection.

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James Kendrick Q Network Film Desk Oct 4, 2012 4/4

a small miracle of a film, one that accomplishes so much with seemingly so little and feels all of a piece, not a moment wasted or misused

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Eric Melin Scene-Stealers.com Sep 4, 2012 3/4

The camera follows right behind Rosetta as she stampedes her way through hardship after hardship, determined to get a fair shake. This puts the viewer in the shoes of Rosetta and we experience her pain firsthand.

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Christopher Long Movie Metropolis Aug 21, 2012 9/10

Rosetta (is) a perpetual motion machine constantly racing away from a lens that will always catch up to her.

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Lisa Schwarzbaum Entertainment Weekly Sep 7, 2011 A

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Emanuel Levy EmanuelLevy.Com Jun 11, 2005 4/5

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Derek Smith Cinematic Reflections Jun 21, 2004 4/4

'An unflinching portrait of the dehumanizing effects of being forced to live hand-to-mouth with no real hope of escaping.'

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Michael Dequina TheMovieReport.com Jan 5, 2004 1/4

Perhaps some of this would have been nominally interesting if Rosetta were slightly likable.

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Rob Blackwelder SPLICEDWire Aug 1, 2003 3/5

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Shannon J. Harvey Sunday Times (Australia) Mar 9, 2003 3/5

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Chuck Rudolph Matinee Magazine Mar 7, 2002 short

Fights and struggles to stay afloat literally and symbolically, just like its heroine.

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Mary Ann Brussat Spirituality & Practice Mar 4, 2002

The drama vividly conveys the stunted emotional and spiritual life of a teenager who has no time for anything except the struggle to survive.

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Joshua Tanzer Offoffoff Feb 26, 2002 3/4

Some viewers (including a few who walked out when I saw the movie) are going to find the subject too grim and the production too stark - but that's the idea.

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Mark Freeman Critical Eye Mar 21, 2001

a careful, painful film, but beautiful in its execution

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Roger Ebert Chicago Sun-Times Jan 1, 2000 3.5/4

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. It's a film of economic determinism, the story of a young woman for whom employment equals happiness.

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Wesley Lovell Apollo Guide Jan 1, 2000 72/100

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