Young Mothers(Jeunes mères)

Turning their lens from young African migrants in crisis, the Dardennes’ astute observation and compassionate humanism touch a wider focus for five portraits of teenage mothers. Housed in a maternal support home near Liège, these women are struggling with their anxieties and hopes about their new role as mothers, amid drug addiction, estranged relationships and family conflict. As attuned as they are to the harsh experiences of living bare-bones existences and grappling with the challenges of parenting a newborn, the two-time Palme d’Or winners have never been fatalists – in a baby’s smile or a cradle song, there lies heartening hope and resilience.

Cannes Film Festival: Best Screenplay and Prize of the Ecumenical Jury