Page - 45 - in JRFM - Journal Religion Film Media, Volume 02/02

Visionary Critique | 45www.jrfm.eu 2016, 2/2, 45–66 Stefanie Knauss Visionary Critique Gender, Self and Relationship in Rosetta and Two Days, One Night ABSTRACT The films of Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne stand out for their complex, multi-dimen- sional female and male characters whose representation disrupts gender stereotypes in numerous ways, both in how the characters themselves are depicted and in how they are shown to relate to other individuals and their social context. In this contri- bution, I explore the themes of self, relationship, solidarity, family and work – all of them recurring issues in the films by the Dardennes – using gender as my primary category of analysis, and focusing in particular on the treatment of these themes in Rosetta (Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne, FR/BE 1999) and Deux jours, une nuit (Two Days, One Night, Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne, BE/FR/IT 2014). I argue that whereas Rosetta (1999) offers a critique of the damaging effects of the masculinized capital- ist system on individuals and their relationships, Two Days, One Night (2014) can be understood as a vision of alternative possibilities of solidarity and women’s empower- ment and agency even within the persistent context of masculinized capitalism. KEYWORDS Jean-Pierre Dardenne, Luc Dardenne, feminist theory, gender studies, Christian social ethics, relational autonomy BIOGRAPHY Stefanie Knauss studied Theology and English language and literature at Freiburg Uni- versity (Germany) and Manchester University (UK). She is now an Assistant Profes- sor of Theology and Culture at Villanova University (USA). Her research focuses on theology and culture, body and religion, and gender/queer studies and theology. Re- cent publications: More than a Provocation: Sexuality, Media and Theology (Göttingen, 2014); Commun(icat)ing Bodies: Body as a Medium in Religious Symbol Systems (edited with Anna-K. Höpflinger and Alexander Ornella; Zurich/London, 2014/2015).