CUSTODY – JUSQU’A LA GARDE

Opening in a courtroom, Julien’s parents represented by their respective lawyers face the judge who is about to determine the future of their 11 year old son. Antoine (Denis Ménochet) has just moved into the area to live closer to his two children but Miriam (Léa Drucker) their mother claims they don’t want to see him.

The discomfort we feel during the hearing morphs into a great tension and an emotional charge as the inner workings of their story unfolds and conflicts flip-flop us, leaving us in doubt as to who to believe. By turns social drama, suspense, thriller, this is sparse realist directing. Winner of both Best First Film and Best Director at the 2017 Venice Film Festival, Custody is a striking first feature by writer-director Xavier Legrand.

Notes by Marie-Pierre Richard