Cannes habitués Jean-Pierre Dardenne and Luc Dardenne debuted their latest film, Young Mothers, in Competition this afternoon, greeted by a 10.5-minute ovation.
The story follows five girls who are housed in a shelter for young mothers. The teenagers are hoping for a better life for themselves and their babies.
Marking their ninth time in Competition, the Dardenne brothers are two-time Palme d’Or winners, for 1999’s Rosetta (which also took a Best Actress prize for Emilie Dequenne who passed away earlier this year), and for 2005’s L’Enfant.
Other laurels the Belgian brothers have received on the Croisette include Best Screenplay for 2008’s Lorna’s Silence, a shared Grand Prize for 2011’s The Kid with a Bike, Best Director for Young Ahmed in 2019 and a special 75th Award for 2022’s Tori and Lokita.
Luc Dardenne told the Cannes Film Festival of Young Mothers, “We wanted to tell five stories about five young girls who, each in their own way, escape a destiny — a prison.” However, there’s slightly more lightness to the film than their previous collaborations. Luc Dardenne credited the music in the movie, “which wasn’t in the last two films.”
Added Jean-Pierre Dardenne speaking to Cannes, “A baby that’s crying, that you need to put down… these are things that we have incorporated… It adds tempo — a completely different rhythm.”
The cast includes Babette Verbeek, Janaina Halloy Fokan, Samia Hilmi, Elsa Houben and Lucie Laruelle.
Goodfellas has international sales on Young Mothers and Diaphana is distributing in France.
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