''Our Children'' (french: À perdre la raison) is a 2012 Belgian-French psychological
drama film directed by
Joachim Lafosse. It is based on a real-life incident involving a woman (
Genevieve Lhermitte) who killed her five children. The film competed in the
Un Certain Regard section at the
2012 Cannes Film Festival
The 65th Cannes Film Festival was held from 16 to 27 May 2012. Italian film director Nanni Moretti was the President of the Jury for the main competition and British actor Tim Roth was the President of the Jury for the Un Certain Regard section. ...
under the title ''Loving Without Reason'',
where
Émilie Dequenne
Émilie Dequenne (, born 29 August 1981) is a Belgian actress. She first gained attention for playing the title character in the film ''Rosetta'' (1999), which earned her the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actress. She then went on to star ...
won the Un Certain Regard Award for Best Actress.
Cast
*
Émilie Dequenne
Émilie Dequenne (, born 29 August 1981) is a Belgian actress. She first gained attention for playing the title character in the film ''Rosetta'' (1999), which earned her the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actress. She then went on to star ...
as Murielle
*
Niels Arestrup as André Pinget
*
Tahar Rahim as Mounir
* Stéphane Bissot as Françoise
* Mounia Raoui as Fatima
* Redouane Behache as Samir
* Baya Belal as Rachida
*
Nathalie Boutefeu
Nathalie Boutefeu (born 1968) is a French actress, film director and screenwriter. She has appeared in 40 films since 1990. She starred in the film '' The Butterfly's Dream'', which was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 1994 Canne ...
as Docteur Declerck
*
Claire Bodson
Claire Bodson is a Belgian stage and film actress. She studied at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels and began working in theatre after developing an interest in acting. After some stage experiences at the Théâtre de l'Ancre in Charleroi, Bodso ...
 as Police Officer
Reception
Critical response was generally strong and the film was nominated for seven
Magritte Awards, winning four, including
Best Film and
Best Director Best Director is the name of an award which is presented by various film, television and theatre organizations, festivals, and people's awards. It may refer to:
Film awards
* AACTA Award for Best Direction
* Academy Award for Best Director
* BA ...
for Lafosse.
The film was selected as the Belgian entry for the
Best Foreign Language Oscar at the
85th Academy Awards, but it did not make the final shortlist.
''
The Hollywood Reporter'' wrote, "In one of her strongest leading roles to date, Dequenne (''The Girl on the Train'', ''Rosetta'') does a remarkable job depicting Murielle’s wavering psychological states as she heads for oblivion, and an extended sequence-shot where she drives home while singing a
Julien Clerc song is particularly unforgettable."
Accolades
See also
*
*
List of Belgian submissions for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Our Children
2012 films
2010s French-language films
2010s psychological drama films
2010s Arabic-language films
Belgian crime drama films
Crime films based on actual events
Drama films based on actual events
French crime drama films
Filicide in fiction
Films about murderers
Films set in Belgium
Films set in Morocco
Films set in the 2000s
Films shot in Belgium
Films shot in Morocco
Films with screenplays by Thomas Bidegain
Films directed by Joachim Lafosse
Magritte Award winners
Mass murder in fiction
2012 multilingual films
Belgian multilingual films
French multilingual films
2010s French films