Starring: Émilie Dequenne, Tahar Rahim, Niels Arestrup
Murielle (Dequenne) is teaches French and lives with her
Moroccan husband, Mounir (Rahim) as well as Mounir’s friend and pseudo-father
figure, André (Arestrup). Joy comes into their lives when Murielle starts to
have children, but over time the tranquillity of parental and marital life
begins to collapse.
Watching the European drama Our Children, reminds me of a
rollercoaster. That isn’t to say that it’s an exciting, fast-moving and
thrilling ride, more that it’s just advisable for pregnant women to stay away.
The disintegration of family life is of course nothing new for cinema, but the
film-makers behind Our Children should be praised for at least making the story
profoundly engrossing even in its bleakness. Joachim Lafosse’s direction is
subtle but strong and whilst Tahar Rahim does fall into the background over
time, this is really more because of the robust performances of Niels Arestrup
and Émilie Dequenne in a performance of gentility and power as well as a shattering
look into depression and mental illness. The film struggles to find its pace at
the start, but by the end, chances are you’ll be captivated if a little
perturbed.
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