At first glance, the life of Grégorie Canvel (Louis-Do De Lencquesaing) looks absolutely perfect: the ambitious film producer loves his job, his wife Sylvia (Chiara Caselli) and his three daughters. But beneath the surface, this dream is a downright nightmare. Grégorie's films barely make any money, debts crush the family man, and risky investments could cause him to lose his production company and his entire film catalogue. More and more Grégorie loses himself in despair and can hardly withstand the growing pressure. And so he makes a decision that will change his family's life forever...
With "The Father of My Children", her second feature-length film, director Mia Hansen-Løve has succeeded in creating an impressive drama that comes across as extremely powerful despite - or perhaps because of - its restrained and quiet staging. Little by little, the carefully constructed house of cards that suggests the professional and familial idyll of Grégory's life crumbles before the audience's eyes. One can literally feel the pressure on the film producer, can absolutely understand his desperation and the hopelessness of the situation. Even if the way out that Grégorie chooses will not meet with the understanding of everyone and also seems extremely selfish at first glance, no one is spared the emotional impact of this scene and its consequences.
It is to the director's credit that even in these moments, which are often staged in the cinema in an exaggeratedly emotional and thus slightly kitschy or pathetic way, she always remains restrained and discreet and just thereby very close to reality. The fact that "The Father of My Children" is nevertheless not depressing in the end, but also radiates something like hope, is another feat of this magnificently acted and powerfully directed drama. Absolutely worth seeing for lovers of European art house cinema!
