The Father of My Children

2009 Drama

A family is forced to learn a painful lesson about the man of the house in this drama from director Mia Hansen-Løve. Grégoire Canvel (Louis-Do de Lencquesaing) is an independent film producer who runs a well-respected production company, Moon Films. For Grégoire, to work is to live, and while he loves his wife, Sylvia (Chiara Caselli), and their three daughters, Clemence (Alice de Lencquesaing), Valentine (Alice Gautier), and Billie (Manelle Driss), during the week he's practically a stranger to them. Grégoire makes a point of spending each weekend with his family at their cottage in the country, but even then separating him from his cell phone is all but impossible, and Sylvia and the girls are reaching the end of their patience with Grégoire and his obsession with work. Though there's no question that Grégoire is devoted to Moon Films, he's kept a secret from Sylvia and his daughters about the state of the company, and it's not until a sudden, desperate act forces Sylvia into leadership of the company that they come to understand the real reasons behind his unrelenting schedule. Le Père de Mes Enfants (aka The Father of My Children) was an official selection at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival, where it was screened as part of the "Un Certain Regard" program. more..

Director: Mia Hansen-Løve

Starring: Louis-Do de Lencquesaing, Chiara Caselli, Manelle Driss, Alice de Lencquesaing, Alice Gautier

Reviews

  • It isn't saying too much, though, to call Mia Hansen-Løve's French-language drama beautiful, profound and, given the gathering tensions of its story, phenomenally full of life.

    Joe Morgenstern - The Wall Street Journal

    19 January 2013

  • A tale of cinema, a story about the agonies of trying to work outside the cinematic mainstream (even in France!). Yet what makes the movie so affecting is that itâ??s also a love story about a family.

    Manohla Dargis - The New York Times

    19 January 2013

  • The film's second half is the most touching, because it shows that our lives are not merely our own, but also belong to the events we set in motion.

    Roger Ebert - The Chicago Sun-Times

    19 January 2013

  • What French writer-director Mia Hansen-Love has created is an extraordinarily empathetic humanistic drama, a film of love, joy, sadness and hope that understands how complex our emotions are and does beautiful justice to them.

    Kenneth Turan - Los Angeles Times

    19 January 2013

  • Hansen-Løveâ??s gifts for mood and eliciting controlled, empathetic performances are well-suited to her sensitive material, and ultimately overshadow the filmâ??s difficult and uneven central characterization.

    Michelle Orange - Movieline

    19 January 2013

Awards

  • Mia Hansen-Løve

    Cannes Film Festival (2009)

  • Best Foreign Language Film

    Film Critics Circle of Australia Awards (2011)

     
  • Best Screenplay

    Lumiere Awards, France (2010)