The Dardennes may be in their 70s, but still have a keen eye for much younger working-class people and their problems. In this case, they’re following five teenage mothers who are staying in a shelter in Banneux, Belgium.

The cast, all credible, are young actors and amateurs, but the film was shot in an actual shelter.

As always in the directors’ films, it’s all natural and heartfelt as familiar but still complex crises play out in the lives of girls who are far too immature to handle motherhood – and whose social circumstances make everything worse.

2025-Belgium-France. 106 min. Color. Written and directed by Luc Dardenne, Jean-Pierre Dardenne. Cast: Lucie Laruelle (Perla), Babette Verbeek (Jessica), Elsa Houben (Julie), Janaïna Halloy Fokan, Samia Hilmi, Jef Jacobs. 

Trivia: Original title: Jeunes mères. Alternative title: The Young Mother’s Home. Co-produced by the Dardennes.

Cannes: Best Screenplay.