The Dardenne brothers return with a deeply affecting drama exploring the lives of five teen mothers. Hopes and fears steer the young women towards bettering their lives for themselves and their children.
There is such simplicity and clarity here, an honest apportioning of dignity and intelligence to everyone on screen: every scene and every character portrait is unforced and unembellished.
Young Mothers 2024
Jeunes mères
Young Mothers examines the lives of underprivileged teenagers as they come to terms with motherhood for the first time. Living together temporarily in a group home, they are taught how to care for their babies, while grappling with very different personal circumstances. The Dardenne brothers treat the characters with delicate respect while humanising the tumultuous reality that often comes with teenage motherhood.
Jessica, raised in an orphanage, cannot imagine abandoning her child and desperately seeks closure from her birth mother. Julie considers giving up her daughter for adoption, yet her own troubled mother wishes to raise the child to atone for her past mistakes. Brought up by an alcoholic mother, Perla dreams of a stable family, but her delinquent boyfriend wants nothing to do with her or their child. While Ariane has the privilege of a loving partner, both are recovering drug addicts which presents its own challenges.
This is a story of hope told through characters looking for a future free from their past. — Madison Marshall