Our Children Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.5

Our Children Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov December 28, 2013

Selected to represent Belgium in the Foreign Language Film Category at the 85 Academy Awards and winner of Best Actress Award at the Cannes Film Festival, Joachim Lafosse's "A perdre la raison" a.k.a "Our Children" (2012) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Saffron Hill Films/Peccadillo Pictures. The supplemental features on the disc include an original trailer for the film; the short films "Private Madness" (2004) and "Before Words" (2010); and an exclusive video interview with the Belgian director. In French, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

Lovers

The film opens up with the end. In an unnamed hospital, a woman with tears in her eyes tells someone that they should be buried in Morocco. A young and handsome man is then seen hugging an older man in the hospital’s quiet corridor.

A series of long episodes now begin reconstructing important events that would eventually reveal how these people are related. In the first, the woman, Murielle (Emilie Dequenne, Rosetta, The Girl on the Train), and the young man, Mounir (Tahar Rahim, A Prophet, Free Men), make love in an expensive SUV. After they carefully clean it up, Mounir tells Murielle that he wants to spend the rest of his life with her. She can’t believe it.

In a different episode, Mounir and Murielle are seen getting ready to have a surprising dinner with the older man, André Pinget (Niels Arestrup, A Prophet, The Beat That My Heart Skipped). He disappoints them after he politely announces that he has to see a patient. After he leaves, the lovers kiss.

Eventually, however, Mounir and Murielle deliver the big news – that they are going to get married – to Andre. While the wedding plans are discussed, it is revealed that Andre is in fact Moroccan-born Mounir’s adoptive father. Rather casually, it is also clarified that he has married Mounir’s sister so that she can legally relocate to France.

The film quickly moves forward. After Mounir fails to get a job he has been dreaming about, Andre offers him a position in his office. He also invites Mounir and Murielle to move in with him because his place is too big for a loner like him. To match the generous gesture, Mounir and Murielle invite Andre to join them on their honeymoon. From here the film takes an unexpected turn which very quickly and dramatically changes its atmosphere.

This very powerful Belgian film directed by Joachim Lafosse can be approached in two different ways. If analyzed as an accurate reconstruction of the tragic events that inspired it – in 2007, Belgian mother Genevieve Lhermitte murdered her five children in the city of Nivelles and then surrendered to the police – it will likely disappoint some viewers because well documented facts have been ignored by Lafosse and his team. (For example, in the film Murielle has four children, not five). As an examination of the specific decisions and the poisonous environment created by them that could dramatically transform a mother and force her to commit a crime, however, the film is incredibly effective.

Teaming up again to play characters that remind of the ones in Jacques Audiard’s superb crime drama A Prophet, Rahim and Arestrup’s nuanced performances make the clash of ideas fascinating to behold. However, it is Dequenne’s incredible character transformation that makes the film a truly unforgettable experience. By the time the final credits roll, the talented Belgian actress literally becomes a different woman.

The frequent use of over-the-shoulder shots creates the impression that the camera is in fact a different character that constantly observes everyone in Andre’s house. (This is the reason why very small parts of the image frame are frequently masked). As a result, the viewer isn’t forced in the same oppressive environment which Murielle must endure. Naturally, this makes it very easy to objectively evaluate the main characters' decisions and actions.

Our Children Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 2.39:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Joachim Lafosse's Our Children arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Saffron Hill Films/Peccadillo Pictures.

Excluding a few sequences where light compression artifacts pop up, the high-definition transfer is virtually flawless. Close-ups boast excellent detail, especially when natural light is in abundance (see screencapture #1), while the large panoramic shots impress with terrific fluidity (see the footage from Morocco). Because shadow and light are often treated in special ways - the camera frequently observes the main protagonists from different angles and small parts of the image frame are masked - there are small sharpness fluctuations. However, definition is consistently pleasing. Color reproduction is very good. There is a wide range of cold and warm but natural colors that change as the action moves from one location to another. Image stability is also very good. All in all, this is a competent presentation of Our Children that should please fans of the film. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your PS3 or SA regardless of your geographical location. For the record, there is no problematic PAL or 1080/50i content preceding the disc's main menu).

Our Children Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: French DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and French LPCM 2.0 (with small portions of Arabic). For the record, Saffron Hill Films/Peccadillo Pictures have provided optional English subtitles for the main feature. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.

The film does not have a prominent music score. Unsurprisingly, dynamic intensity is somewhat limited. Depth and clarity, however, are excellent. Random nature sounds and everyday noises, in particular, are incredibly easy to identify. The dialog is exceptionally crisp, stable, and very easy to follow. The English translation is excellent.

Our Children Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Interview - in this new video interview, director Joachim Lafosse explains how Our Children came to exist, and discusses the film visual style (and specifically the purpose of the over-the-shoulder shots), the different reactions the film generated in different countries, etc. In French, with optional English subtitles. (13 min).

• Trailer - original trailer for Our Children. In French, with imposed English subtitles. (2 min).

• Private Madness - Joachim Lafosse directed Folie privee in 2004. A young woman discovers that her husband has changed his mind and decided to stay despite the fact that the two are no longer in love and have agreed that they will part ways. They begin questioning each other in front of their son and soon after all hell breaks loose. In French, with optional English subtitles. (61 min).

• Avant les mots - Before Words, which Joachim Lafosse directed in 2010, is about a young boy named Cedric and his 'friends' in a kindergarten. In French, with optional English subtitles. (25 min).

Our Children Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Emilie Dequenne's success at the Cannes Film Festival is well deserved. Her performance in this very powerful film directed by Belgian helmer Joachim Lafosse is every bit as impressive as her acting debut in Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne's Rosetta. Had I seen Our Children a little earlier it would have definitely appeared on my Top 10 list. Saffron Hill Films/Peccadillo Pictures' technical presentation of the film is very good. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.