Subscribe today using voucher code SUMMER22 for an extended free trial

This film is part of Rentals

Custody 15 rating

Myriam (Drucker) has recently left husband Antoine (Ménochet). She doesn’t want her youngest, Julien (Gioria), to see a father she claims is violent. But the judge rules otherwise, and the boy becomes a pawn in a bitter parental conflict…

Drama 2016 94 mins

Director: Xavier Legrand

Overview

Legrand confirms the promise of his Oscar-nominated short with one of the most impressive feature debuts of recent years. From the first scene, his all-round expertise is immediately apparent in the astute dialogue, the meticulous framing, cutting and pacing, the expressive use of sound, and the superb performances of a uniformly excellent cast. Psychological precision and the skilful building of suspense are foremost among the film’s many virtues, while Legrand makes eloquent use of ambiguity throughout, so that the characters – all prone to contradictory impulses while trying to do their best – remain sympathetic and utterly human, however badly they sometimes behave. Frighteningly credible and, we should remember, all too relevant.