Dir: Anne-Sophie Bailly | Cast: Laure Calamy, Charles Peccia Galletto, Julie Froger | Drama, France, 95′
Laure Calamy is a put-upon mother juggling a dependent son and an elderly mother in this captivating first feature from Anne-Sophie Bailly.
Mona lives with her adult son, Joël, in a cramped apartment in the Paris suburbs. Now in his early thirties, Joël has suffered from dyspraxia since childhood and works in a specialised facility where he is in love with his disabled coworker Océane who soon soon becomes pregnant leaving Mona to deal with a potential minefield in this morally complex character drama.
But what could have been a gloomy, demoralising film ends up being a real joy to watch due to Bailly’s clever script, Mona and Joel’s uplifting relationship and two terrific central performances making this a positive pleasure despite the tricky issues involved. @MeredithTaylor.
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