31/08/2024 - VENICE 2024: Blending social realism and adolescent mythology, romanticism and tragedy, Ludovic and Zoran Boukherma deliver an exciting and spirited adaptation of Nicolas Mathieu’s novel

Paul Kircher and Angelina Woreth in And Their Children After Them

"I’m going out” – “Where?” – “I don’t know. Nowhere”. "Want to go for a ride?” – “To go where?” – “Wherever you want. Nowhere". Delving into the world of writer Nicolas Mathieu, and following in the wake of disillusioned youngsters seeking thrills and, primarily, love in a small town in the east of France hit hard by the deindustrialisation of the ‘90s, Ludovic and Zoran Boukherma hit the mark perfectly with their 4th feature film, And Their Children After Them [+see also:
trailer
film profile], which delivered a boost and breathed fresh air into the competition of the 81st Venice Film Festival.

"Why are you following me like that? What do you hope’s going to happen?" Boredom reigns in Heillange in the summer of ‘94, but it’s love at first sight for listless 14-year-old Anthony (Paul Kircher) when he randomly meets Steph (Angelina Woreth), a pretty girl from the local lower middle classes versus his loving but disadvantaged working class background. Will he succeed in winning her over? It doesn’t look good, and things get off to a very bad start when the beloved motorbike belonging to his authoritarian father (Gilles Lellouche) - which Anthony secretly borrowed to get to a party that Steph is going to - is stolen. The person responsible for the theft, responding to a minor public humiliation, is Hacine (the intense Sayyid El Alami), a young man from the projects who’s attached to his tough kid reputation. This micro-event inextricably and tragically binds the fates of these two boys and their families (starring a remarkable Ludivine Sagnier as Anthony’s mother) together over the next six years and across four summers (1992, 1994, 1996 and 1998), during which time Anthony’s attraction towards Steph shows no sign of abating.

Kicked off by a vast, exciting and electrifying first half, And Their Children After Them perfectly captures the varying moods of adolescence. It conveys the atmosphere of a working class town left fallow by the end of mining ("it’s dead here") and offering no great future for its younger generations, without necessarily pushing naturalism but lending its characters an endearing "larger than life" aspect. Making excellent use of the beautiful natural décor (the lake, the forest, the decommissioned blast furnace), courtesy of director of photography Augustin Barbaroux’s eye-catching efforts, the film pulls the audience into a enthralling story which tackles a number of subjects (social class, xenophobia, delinquency, family, etc.) between its romantic core and ensuing drama. Certain decisions made in the adaptation process are definitely debatable (especially the heightened presence of Anthony’s father at the cost of deeper exploration of the fascinating character of Hacine), but the richness of the novel is such that the work as a whole escapes unscathed and the filmmakers meet the challenge hands-down of mixing the intimate and the spectacular, sociological immersion and lyricism, much to the audience’s delight.

And Their Children After Them was produced by Chi Fou Mi Productions and Trésor Films, in co-production with France 3 Cinéma and Cool Industrie. Charades are managing international sales.

(Translated from French)

Photogallery 31/08/2024: Venice 2024 - Leurs enfants après eux

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Zoran Boukherma, Ludovic Boukherma, Angelina Woreth, Gilles Lellouche
© 2024 Fabrizio de Gennaro for Cineuropa - fadege.it, @fadege.it