I was worried at first; those first fifteen minutes had me dreading the next 75. Too obvious, boring, tedious, etc. But then something happened, though I’m not entirely sure what. The stakes were raised? Cecile de France? And then all of the sudden I was moved, incredibly. Why is she so forgiving? She still felt real to me. And Cyril…the Tree of Life might have all the flash, might say “God” more loudly and more often (also, just saw Days of Heaven - less than overwhelming), but this movie was the one with all the grace, with all the humanity. The symbols were there too, and though they were perhaps pedantic, they were nonetheless compelling. I’ve got to go check out the Dardenne brothers’ other stuff