By Based on a true Belegian news story, Our Children follows Murielle (Emilie Dequenne) and Mounir (Tahir Rahim), a young couple whose passionate relationship begins to deteriorate upon the births of their five children. The film places much of its focus on Murielle as she struggles for freedom away from the close surveillance of her husband and his older step-brother, a fatherlike figure who financially provides for the family. These conflicting pressures placed upon Murielle ultimately result in a tragedy worthy of international attention.
Dequenne’s raw performance in this film earned her the Un Certain Regard Award for Best Actress at Cannes last year. Our own Hubert Vigilla also praised Dequenne in this review of the film. Our Children makes its U.S. theatrical debut on August 2.