Worth: $18.50
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Cast:
Lea Drucker, Denis Menochet, Thomas Gioria, Mathilde Auneveux
Intro:
...confronting and unforgettable.
Best Director and Best Debut Film at the 2017 Venice International Film Festival, as well as winner of the Audience Award for Best Feature at the 2017 San Sebastian Film Festival, Xavier Legrand’s Custody (Jusqu’à la Garde, literally translated as ‘up to the hilt’) is nothing short of remarkable. Inspired by and somewhat a continuation of Legrand’s short film Just Before Losing Everything, Custody touches on a topic that remains largely taboo, and the release of this film couldn’t be more timely.
These are the facts: in France, a woman dies every two-and-a-half days as a result of domestic violence. In Australia, one woman is killed every week as a result of domestic violence.
Miriam and Antoine, played exceptionally by Léa Drucker and Denis Ménochet, fight for sole custody of their son Julien. The beginning of the film is cleverly shot as there’s a sense of uncertainty and it’s intended to challenge the viewer’s judgement of both parents. Miriam and Antoine sit in front of a family law judge who tries to determine which of the parents is fit to take sole custody of their son. But really, the judge is just trying to figure out whom is the lesser of two evils.
The opening scene might frustrate audiences as there is a feeling of uncertainty on whether the mother is the victim she claims to be or not. Miriam is tight-lipped and timid as she sits in the room, barely speaking a word. It’s evident in this scene that their 11-year-old son Julien wants nothing to do with his father, yet Antoine, who is much more vocal and clearly possessive, convinces the judge to grant him weekend visits.
From here the relationship between father and son takes a downward spiral, revealing cracks in Antoine’s personality and inability to be a caring father. His obsession on finding where and how his estranged wife lives without him reaches a high level of manipulation as he uses his ‘charm’ to influence his son to give up details on the mother’s whereabouts and new phone number.
Thomas Gioria’s performance as Julien is remarkable as he navigates a rollercoaster of emotions each time the weekend comes around and he’s in the company of his father.
Throughout the film you carefully put together the pieces of the puzzle as to who the true victim is, and you may believe you have the third act all figured out, but it will hit you like an unexpected blow to the stomach. It’s confronting and unforgettable.
Custody is social realism that will spark a flame. It’s a powerful debut feature from Legrand and reminds us of the alarming reality of domestic abuse in the real world.
A psychological drama-thriller that is hard to swallow and will hit a nerve, as intended.
