Our Children (2012)
Average Rating: 7.6/10
Reviews Counted: 17
Fresh: 16 | Rotten: 1
No consensus yet.
Average Rating: N/A
Critic Reviews: 1
Fresh: 1 | Rotten: 0
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All Critics (17) | Top Critics (1) | Fresh (16) | Rotten (1)
This gloomy and penetrating psychological drama should receive steady art house play.
Top CriticAn exceptional performance by Emilie Dequenne dominates this powerful drama inspired by the harrowing case of Brussels mother of five Geneviève Lhermitte.
This is masterful, unsettling filmmaking that moves us deeply. It also has the power to save lives.
It's a quiet, immaculately acted study of appalling cruelty committed unconsciously by those who believe they're acting in the best interest of others.
Harrowing... Fantastic performances are part of why this is such an unsettling film...
A small masterpiece.
Dequenne is simply one of best actors on the planet. Her portrayal of baby blues and postnatal psychosis is as subtle as it is devastating.
Tense, slow-burning and handled with impeccable discretion Our Children offers a piercing and compassionate glimpse into the unthinkable.
As the walls close in we believe this young wife might end up gasping for air. We even believe she might yearn to take the kids, not just herself, to a better place.
[An] inexpressibly painful drama, with a classic resonance, which Belgian director and co-writer Joachim Lafosse based on a news story.
It's not an easy watch, but Lafosse - who made the excellent mother-and-twins study Private Property (2006) - unpicks the family dynamics with moving candour.
Fully committed, beautifully acted, well realised and genuinely unsettling.
Dynamically played and superbly handled.
A film which tackles serious issues that are both intensely personal and widely political, but which fails to offer understanding of subjects which are perhaps simply incomprehensible.
A drab, gloomy drama that doesn't provide any real enlightenment about why something so awful could happen.
With Our Children, Joachim Lafosse seems hellbent on avoiding any hint of sensationalism.
Underlying this bizarre domestic dynamic is a post-colonialist drama... but those four dead children might better have come unheralded, with Murielle a surprise Medea rather than a pre-destined anti-heroine enacting a mere fait accompli.
Audience Reviews for Our Children
Super Reviewer
The issue of how to integrate immigrants from conservative Islamic cultures into a liberal society is one Northern European countries, like Belgium, find themselves currently struggling with. The dynamic of 'Our Children' at first seems like a microcosm of this issue. When the Muslim Mounir first informs Andre of his intentions to marry a Belgian girl, the older man frowns, warning him of the dangers of attempting to mix cultures. After the marriage, Murielle begins to explore Islam while her husband ironically seems more interested in integrating himself into Belgian society. Just as LaFosse seems to be getting somewhere with this exploration, he switches focus to Murielle's psychiatric breakdown, resulting in a second half which feels like a poor imitation of Lars Von Trier's "tortured female" movies.
By opening his film in the immediate aftermath of a tragedy, LaFosse pulls something of a cheap trick on the audience. Our subsequent anticipation of this event keeps us on edge for the duration of the film, making the audience do the film-maker's work. The problem is that the situation never really feels believable enough to result in a tragedy of such disturbing proportions, despite a trio of quality performances. Andre's motivations are never made clear enough for us to stop doubting his intentions and LeFosse seems content to rely on Arestrup's kindly face to make us buy into his being such a caring person. Dequenne showed with her turn in 'The Girl on the Train' that she does a neat line in crazy and, while she's believably disturbed here, the process leading to her breakdown just isn't convincing enough.
For all its faults, 'Our Children' is relatively engaging, thanks mainly to the performances from its three leads. A lengthy unbroken shot featuring Dequenne breaking down on a car journey is one of the highlight's of 2013 cinema.
Super Reviewer
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Foreign Titles
- Our Children (A perdre la raison) (DE)
- Our Children (A perdre la raison) (UK)
The issue of how to integrate immigrants from conservative Islamic cultures into a liberal society is one Northern European countries, like Belgium, find themselves currently struggling with. The dynamic of 'Our Children' at first seems like a microcosm of this issue. When the Muslim Mounir first informs Andre of his intentions to marry a Belgian girl, the older man frowns, warning him of the dangers of attempting to mix cultures. After the marriage, Murielle begins to explore Islam while her husband ironically seems more interested in integrating himself into Belgian society. Just as LaFosse seems to be getting somewhere with this exploration, he switches focus to Murielle's psychiatric breakdown, resulting in a second half which feels like a poor imitation of Lars Von Trier's "tortured female" movies.
By opening his film in the immediate aftermath of a tragedy, LaFosse pulls something of a cheap trick on the audience. Our subsequent anticipation of this event keeps us on edge for the duration of the film, making the audience do the film-maker's work. The problem is that the situation never really feels believable enough to result in a tragedy of such disturbing proportions, despite a trio of quality performances. Andre's motivations are never made clear enough for us to stop doubting his intentions and LeFosse seems content to rely on Arestrup's kindly face to make us buy into his being such a caring person. Dequenne showed with her turn in 'The Girl on the Train' that she does a neat line in crazy and, while she's believably disturbed here, the process leading to her breakdown just isn't convincing enough.
For all its faults, 'Our Children' is relatively engaging, thanks mainly to the performances from its three leads. A lengthy unbroken shot featuring Dequenne breaking down on a car journey is one of the highlight's of 2013 cinema.