In the best Dardenne manner, a rich, almost literary work of art, steeped in a spirituality that recalls Dostoyevsky and Robert Bresson.
THE NEW YORK TIMES

Absolutely terrific.
TIME OUT

By recording events with such detailed dispassion, the Dardennes avoid undue melodramatics. Consequently, this Palme d’Or-winning confirmation of the world’s cruelty remains unflinchingly powerful.
EMPIRE

An example of how cinema has the power to convince, to move and to compel with the fewest possible material resources.
THE GUARDIAN

With Belgian auteurs the Dardenne brothers behind the camera, there are deeper levels to explore in another stark but gripping construction of social realism.
THE BBC

The Dardennes have managed to concoct an engaging and often suspenseful drama without ever calling upon fancy camerawork, sensational performances, or even so much as a musical score.
EYE FOR FILM

Every act in the film has a mythic resonance.
THE NEW YORK MAGAZINE

Without a lot of overheated action, the consequences of Bruno’s behavior cloud the next few hours of his life. The character is a surprise as both a dramatic creation and a human being.
THE BOSTON GLOBE

Bruno is a classic character from the pen of Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne, the Belgian filmmakers who find beauty and redemption in the direst of circumstances.
TORONTO STAR

Everything about L’Enfant feels devastatingly real.
THE SEATTLE TIMES

Here is a film where God does not intervene and the directors do not mistake themselves for God. It makes the solutions at the ends of other pictures seem like child’s play.
THE CHICAGO SUN TIMES

It’s expertly directed in a low-key, naturalistic way that brings to mind French auteur Robert Bresson. It’s also emotionally forceful and contains heartbreaking performances by Jeremie Renier as Bruno and Déborah François as Sonia
THE NEW YORK POST

This is a movie about the kind of everyday miracle we all need to believe can happen—how the tiniest glimmer of human connection can lead the most miserable specimen out of darkness.
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

The exceptional thing about L’Enfant is how intensely dramatic the film makes the consequences of Bruno’s choice.
THE LA TIMES

L’Enfant is a forceful, impassioned and unsparing triumph from Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne.
ROLLING STONE

A miracle.
SLANT