“Other People's Children” Movie Review

 

“Other People's Children”

Movie Review

 

Other People's Children is a French drama film directed by Rebecca Zlotowski and starring Virginie Efira, Roshdi Gem, Chiara Mastroianni, and Callie Ferreira-Gonsalves, released in September 2022. This tragic comedy tells the story of a middle-aged teacher who enters a new relationship. This creates a close bond with her partner's young daughter.

Rachel is 40 years old, single, no children. She works as a middle school teacher, has a large circle of friends, and keeps in touch with her ex-husbands. She takes guitar lessons and is happy with her life. One day, she falls in love with Ali and his four-year-old daughter Leila enters her life. Rachel takes care of the toddler, cares for her, and soon loves her as her own. But she must realize that a close relationship with Leila carries risks, especially with her mother Alice. Rachel doesn't want to put up with being an "extra" in Leila's life. Time is working against her if she is to fulfill her desire to have a child of her own even at this age.

Director Zlotowski's 'Other People's Children' is a mature reflection of love as the childless Rachel falls into the arms of recently divorced Ali, played by Roshdi Gem. Set in Paris, with the Eiffel Tower shimmering in the background, this story plays out, though Rose-tinted romantic feelings are thrown into sugar. At its core, Other People's Children is not just a story about a couple, but another person entirely: Ali's five-year-old daughter Leila, played by Callie Ferreira-Goncalves.

Rachel immediately warms to her, taking her title of "Leila's stepmother" as seriously as she does "Ali's girlfriend." Zlotowski's camera draws the trio closer as they get closer, their cozy evenings and weekend getaways establishing the family unit. Any concern for Leila's parental instincts turns to blind panic when Leila disappears for a moment into the crowd. Her motherhood evolves through troubled 16-year-old student Dylan, played by Victor Lefebvre, who speaks more like a parent than a teacher, scolding him for not wearing a coat, but defending that his grades are failing. Othe People’s Children expressing the fear of losing the "collective experience" of motherhood without misogyny, should never stoop to seeing a childless woman as incomplete because she has no children of her own.

After a brief hiatus, her doctor warns of a "ticking clock" and Rachel feels she will "always be extra" in her life. Zlotowski's humble portrait frames motherhood not simply as child-rearing, but as part of a communal responsibility for development. When another mom, Rachel, spills a juice carton before Leila looks down at her empty hand, it's not seen as a failure, but as a support system. Efira's enigmatic performance, with her face framed in practically every shot, is also the grounding for such contemplation. Rachel's desire to fulfill gender expectations stacks the odds against a cheerful score and swelling orchestra that evokes a woman's anxiety about her future paths, reminiscent of the world's worst person.

Efira lets Rachel's emotional narrative shine through in one scene. "She's just like you," says a passerby, looking between Rachel and Leila. Leila is unharmed, but Rachel's smile falls for a moment, her caring gaze locking on the child before her smile grows back. This is one of the many instances in which director Zlotowski and his actors create quiet inner conflict without ever pushing for drama. Instead, has a gentle sense of peeling back the layers of life to reveal something utterly timeless and tangible.

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