| Our Children | |
| Director: | Joachim Lafosse |
| Producer: | Jacques-Henri Bronckart Olivier Bronckart |
| Starring: | Émilie Dequenne Niels Arestrup Tahar Rahim |
| Cinematography: | Jean-François Hensgens |
| Editing: | Sophie Vercruysse |
| Runtime: | 111 minutes[1] |
| Country: | Belgium France |
| Language: | French Arabic |
| Budget: | $7.2 million[2] |
| Gross: | $700,000[3] |
Our Children (French: '''À perdre la raison''') is a 2012 Belgian-French psychological drama film directed by Joachim Lafosse. It is based on a real-life incident involving a woman (Geneviève Lhermitte) who killed her five children. The film competed in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival under the title Loving Without Reason,[4] [5] where Émilie Dequenne won the Un Certain Regard Award for Best Actress.[6]
Critical response was generally strong and the film was nominated for seven Magritte Awards, winning four, including Best Film and Best Director for Lafosse.[7] The film was selected as the Belgian entry for the Best Foreign Language Oscar at the 85th Academy Awards, but it did not make the final shortlist.[8]
The Hollywood Reporter wrote, "In one of her strongest leading roles to date, Dequenne (The Girl on the Train, Rosetta) does a remarkable job depicting Murielle’s wavering psychological states as she heads for oblivion, and an extended sequence-shot where she drives home while singing a Julien Clerc song is particularly unforgettable."[9]
| Award | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Belgian Film Critics Association[10] | André Cavens Award for Best Film | |||
| 2012 Cannes Film Festival | Un Certain Regard Award – Best Actress | Émilie Dequenne | ||
| 25th European Film Awards[11] | Best Actress | Émilie Dequenne | ||
| 3rd Magritte Awards | Best Film | |||
| Best Director | Joachim Lafosse | |||
| Best Screenplay | Joachim Lafosse, Matthieu Reynaert | |||
| Best Actress | Émilie Dequenne | |||
| Best Supporting Actress | Stéphane Bissot | |||
| Best Sound | Ingrid Simon, Thomas Gauder | |||
| Best Editing | Sophie Vercruysse | |||
| Satellite Awards 2012[12] | Best Actress – Motion Picture | Émilie Dequenne | ||
| Best Foreign Language Film | ||||
| Saint Petersburg international film festival 2012 | Best Actress | Émilie Dequenne |