I’m a big fan of films I haven’t heard of and a friend recommended one to me and I end up loving it. Other People’s Children is one of those films. It’s a French film set in modern times but has a great message about women and various aspects of their lives including family, friends, work, and relationships. This is one of the best movies I’ve seen dealing with this subject matter.

Rachel Freidman (Virginie Efria)  is an English/literature teacher in France, she has an adult daughter and an ex-husband. She gets guitar lessons and ends up kissing her teacher Ali (Roschdy Zem) and sleeps with him. They become fast lovers. He has a child Leila with another woman though. They seem like a very happy family together vacationing, She has a lot more going on in her life than just this though.

This French film deals with this single woman who has a good life but she wants more. This relationship she’s in is nice for her but it isn’t exactly working out for everyone involved. Her day job is that of a teacher which as you’d imagine has her dealing with children or in this case teenagers. Specifically, one teenager in particular Dylan (Victor Lefebvre) is struggling with his studies. This is just one of the many distractions she has in her life.

As a woman, she has certain needs and she gets checked out by her gynecologist who lets her know she’s still fine to bear children. Even though she is of an older age regarding that particular department. A lot of people can relate to this type of story, especially women. I’ve seen a lot of films focusing solely on the plight of women and this is one of the ones I’ve seen, French or otherwise. It has a female gaze that represents a lot of women.

The filmmaker, Rebecca Zlotowski, who also wrote the screenplay for this film did a great job of showing what it’s like being an older woman going through various obstacles in her life. I’ve known a lot of Wen in my lifetime and this world isn’t good for women who are looking to be independent and successful. That doesn’t change the fact that they also need love and want to give love back in return. It’s a maternal nature all women have.

Besides the main character, this film deals with various other aspects of how women live their lives and the burdens they have each day in their lives. Sick women, the death of loved ones, and other elements permeate this story. It’s an overarching topic throughout the film. The writer/ director shows everything she possibly can to the audience so they can understand how difficult it is to be a woman in today’s society. 

Subplots of the main character’s sister, her boyfriend, daughter, ex-wife, and others add to the strength of this movie, but the main reason to see this amazing film is the performance from Virginie Efria. She’s an actress I wasn’t familiar with before this film but I am very much looking forward to any new films or television shows she might be in in the near future in France or America. 

Other People’s Children is a film with a female gaze that focuses on one woman mainly but sheds light on all kinds of women from its story. The Tour de Force performance from Efria anchors this film but the writer/director Zlotowski is the real champion regarding the story and direction of the film. She gives women of all ages a movie they can relate to no matter where they’re from. This is a fantastic film, no matter age, creed, or religion.  This is one of the best films of the year thus far.

4 ½ stars

Dan Skip Allen