Film 'Rosetta', a Self-Portrait of a Young Man Who Simply Wants an 'Ordinary Life' [Joohee Kang's Video Prism]

'Rosetta' Unable to Work
Shadows of Life Cast Over Youth

Still image from the movie 'Rosetta'.
Photo by Naver Movies

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Juhee] [Editor's Note] How do you remember that scene? Have you ever suddenly recalled a scene from a movie? This is likely because films are closely connected to our lives. Movies offer another perspective on reality. We present various viewpoints on reality by extracting a single scene from a film. Please note that there may be spoilers during the description process.

The 1999 film "Rosetta," directed by the Belgian Dardenne brothers, depicts the life of an 18-year-old girl named Rosetta who struggles to make a living after being fired from her job. The film begins with Rosetta’s back as she walks, filled with anger and resentment upon hearing the news of her dismissal.

Rosetta, who was fired simply because her probation period ended, protests strongly to her boss and rejects the dismissal with all her might but is ultimately driven out of the workplace. Rosetta, a poor working-class girl, lives in a mobile trailer with her mother, who suffers from alcoholism. Although she supplements their meager income by reselling clothes her mother has mended, Rosetta essentially takes on the role of the head of the household.

Desperately trying to find a job anywhere just to maintain a minimum livelihood, she only receives the answer, "We don't need staff right now." Why must she live so desperately? Without a moment to reflect on herself, Rosetta clings to living each moment like a battle.

Still image from the movie 'Rosetta'.
Photo by Naver Movies

One day, with the help of Rike, a waffle shop employee who is kind to her, Rosetta gets a job at a waffle batter factory. Rike becomes a friend to her, offering shelter to Rosetta who has nowhere else to go, providing comfort where none could be found.

After having dinner worry-free with Rike for the first time in a while, Rosetta lies in bed murmuring. She says she has a job, a friend, and that she will escape this cesspool. What Rosetta wants is simply to live an ordinary life like others, going to work without worrying about hunger.

However, Rosetta loses her job again at the waffle factory, pushed out by the boss’s son. Desperate for employment, she ends up reporting Rike’s misconduct to the boss and takes over his position. The life Rosetta stands on is one where she must abandon even ethics to survive.

The film closely captures Rosetta’s constant struggle with the weight of life, highlighting the lives and suffering of young people trapped in the cycle of unemployment.

Still image from the movie 'Rosetta'. / Photo by Naver Movies

"Rosetta" reflects the contemporary reality of Belgium, a country considered one of Europe’s advanced nations. The film critiques the contradictions of capitalist society, where endless competition is inevitable and no one takes responsibility. Even more than 20 years after its release, it resonates with the current reality in the Republic of Korea.

As is well known, youth unemployment is a serious social issue in Korea as of 2021. Last year, Korea’s employment situation was the second most severe since the 1998 financial crisis.

According to the Korea Economic Research Institute, the economically active population in 2020 decreased by 174,000 compared to the previous year, the second largest drop after 1998 (354,000). The number of employed people also fell by 218,000 from the previous year, the largest decline since 1998 (1,276,000).

Meanwhile, the number of unemployed last year was 1,108,000, the highest since 1998 (1,490,000) and 1999 (1,374,000). The unemployment rate was 4.0%, the highest in 19 years since 2001 (4.0%).

In January this year, the number of unemployed rose by 417,000 compared to the same month last year, surpassing 1.5 million for the first time ever. The reason Rosetta’s image?constantly striving to be part of society but repeatedly pushed out beyond its boundaries against her will?does not feel unfamiliar.

At the end of the film, Rosetta calls the waffle shop owner to inform him that she will no longer come to work. Although she temporarily forgets her livelihood worries with the job she gained by betraying a friend, the life that abandons ethics was not the "ordinary life" Rosetta desired.

Rosetta returns to the trailer and must start again a life as burdensome as the gas canister she carries. The film ends without showing how she will live going forward.

Can the weight of life cast over young people be lightened? Rosetta is an individual, but the unemployment figure of 1.5 million is too large to dismiss this issue as a personal responsibility.