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‘Young Ahmed’ review: award-winning jihadist drama blends social realism with artful melodrama
Winners of two Palme d’Or awards at Cannes – Rosetta (1999) and The Child (2005) – Belgian filmmaking brothers Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne are known for their incisive, socially minded output. In Young Ahmed (Le Jeune Ahmed), the brothers return once again to their favourite subject, underprivileged adolescent protagonists on the margins of society or in trouble with the law.The film won the Dardennes Cannes’ ‘Best Director’ gong last year and, despite its familiar tone, feels like something of a departure for the duo who have bravely chosen to broach a rather thorny subject.
