Léa Drucker, Denis Ménochet, Thomas Gioria
French director Xavier Legrand’s debut feature is an explosive family drama that is gripping as it is authentic. Fans of the Dardenne brothers or the work of Maurice Pialat will recognise this film’s unsentimental realism in its approach to this electrifyingly domestic nightmare.
The custody battle at the heart of this story is between Miriam (Léa Drucker) and Antoine (Denis Ménochet). In the film’s opening scenes we see the courtroom drama unfold, with Miriam pushing for sole custody of their son, who is unwilling witness to the testimony of his father’s past abuses. Yet Antoine wins joint custody, setting in motion a chain of events that is almost unbearably tense.
Carefully and sensitively directed with intense, restrained performances throughout, this is a powerful human scale reminder of the horrors of the home.