Young Mothers (12A) |Close-Up Film Review
Dir Jean-Pierre & Luc Dardenne Belgium/France 2025, 106 mins.
Cast: Babette Verbeek, Janaina Halloy Fokine, Elsa Houben, Lucie Larulle, Samia Hilmi
French with English subtitles
Review by Carlie Newman
It is set in a support maternity home in Liege. The home caters for young teenage mothers and their babies.
Perla (Lucie Larulle) meets her new baby’s father on his release from a young offenders institution. However, he is not interested in continuing a relationship with Perla or his child. Jessica (Babette Verbeek) is pregnant but after her baby is born desperately wants to get close to her own birth mother, who gave her up when she herself was a teenager.
Julia (Elsa Houben) is trying to give up her drug addiction and has a lovely boyfriend who supports her. Ariane (Janaina Halloy Fokine) is only 15 and has decided to give up her baby for adoption in spite of her own mother who desperately wants to be a grandmother and is willing to look after the baby if Ariane doesn’t want to. However, Ariane is aware that her mother is in an abusive relationship herself and is determined that her baby will have a better future by being adopted.
There is also Naima (Samia Hilmi) who has successfully completed her time at the shelter and has a job as a railway inspector awaiting her. She has a lovely sendoff by staff and residents with a cake in the garden.
There is some humour but mainly the film is a sensitive and emotional portrayal of very young girls and their babies. The girls are trying to cope with a very difficult situation and most have a traumatic past. Beautifully acted and directed sensitively by the Dardennes.
