The Top Directors Working Today: The Dardenne Brothers

This was going to happen eventually. While I see A LOT of movies, I haven't seen everything. When I put up my initial post on the Great Directors Working Today, I came across a few names have a passionate following whose work I have yet to experience.

Creators of intensely naturalistic films about lower class life in Belgium, brothers Luc and Jean-Pierre Dardenne have created a body of work since 1996 which places them clearly among the world’s most critically respected filmmakers. With La promesse (The Promise) (1996), Rosetta (1999), Le fils (The Son) (2002), and L’Enfant (The Child) (2005), the Dardennes’ films are stark but modest portrayals of young people at the fringes of society – immigrants, the unemployed, the inhabitants of shelters. Both Rosetta and L’enfant were awarded the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival, the only two Belgian films ever to earn the honor.

According to the poll on Filmspotting.net...

21% have seen their films and think they're definitely Great.
5% have seen their films and don't care for them
42% haven't seen enough of their work but hope to.
21% have never heard of them before.
11% have heard of them, but aren't interested.

They have a great short, "Darkness", in that shorts about cinema series. This would be an easy intro and gives a sense to their ethic, which is clearly what is important to them as film-makers.
-skjerva