France / 90’
language French
cast Denis Ménochet, Léa Drucker, Thomas Gioria, Mathilde Auneveux, Saadia Bentaïeb, Sophie Pincemaille, Emilie Incerti-Formentini
screenplay Xavier Legrand
cinematographer Nathalie Durand
editor Yorgos Lamprinos
production designer Jérémie Sfez
costume designer Laurence Forgue Lockhart
sound Julien Sicart, Julien Roig, Vincent Verdoux
Cinema
Xavier Legrand - Jusqu’à la garde (Custody)
Synopsis
Myriam and Antoine Besson have divorced, and Myriam seeks sole custody of their son Julien to protect him from a father she claims is violent. Antoine pleads his case as a scorned dad and the appointed judge rules in favor of joint custody. Held hostage to the escalating conflict between his parents, Julien is pushed to the edge to prevent the worst from happening.
Director’s Statement
A couple divorces and two parents confront each other over custody of their child. Thousands of people live this situation every day. From these seemingly ordinary events, the film reveals the deeply buried violence, the terribly silent fear, the unbearably hushed, quiet menace. Rather than making the Bessons’ separation the subject of a family or social drama, I wanted to make a political film, a war film, maybe even a horror film.
