Our Children
Distrib Films | Release Date: August 2, 2013 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
79
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 14 Critic Reviews
Positive:
11
Mixed:
3
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
Time OutDavid FearJul 30, 2013
It’s a near-perfect portrait of a domestic tragedy as a master-and-servant psychodrama, one that leaves catastrophic collateral damage in its wake. Read full review
90
VarietyPeter DebrugeDec 15, 2013
At this finely tooled tragedy’s core towers Emilie Dequenne, no longer the feral young thing seen in 1999′s “Rosetta,” but a trapped animal pushed to devastating extremes. Read full review
90
Arizona RepublicBill GoodykoontzSep 19, 2013
This is a film as powerful as it is painful. Read full review
90
Los Angeles TimesKenneth TuranAug 8, 2013
This is a taut psychological study, based on a true story, of the complexities of personal power relationships that begins with the kind of shattering revelation that would be the conclusion of most films. Read full review
90
The New York TimesManohla DargisAug 1, 2013
Much like the Dardennes, Mr. Joachim holds to the truth that the personal is political, which is why this isn’t simply a movie about a woman and an unspeakable crime, but also an exploration of the power and cruelty that brought her to that very dark place. Read full review
80
The New YorkerAnthony LaneAug 5, 2013
There is no whodunit here — the horror is plain in the opening shots — and the how is presented with great restraint, but the why remains veiled and mysterious long after the film has ended. Read full review
80
Village VoiceViolet LuccaJul 30, 2013
Can a film that holds no surprises be of value? In the case of Our Children, which masterfully plays with stylistic conventions and all-too-common instances of real-life matricide, the answer is decidedly yes. Read full review
80
The GuardianPeter BradshawJul 28, 2013
Émilie Dequenne is the young actor who made a powerful debut in the Dardenne brothers' prize-winning film "Rosetta" in 1999, and what a superb performance she gives now in this inexpressibly painful drama. Read full review
80
The Hollywood ReporterJordan MintzerJul 28, 2013
Reteaming to play a duo similar to the one in A Prophet, Rahim and Arestrup maintain the film’s tense and sinister tone – the former providing a convincing mix of fragility and machismo, and the latter looking and acting more and more like Brando in the latter half of his career. Read full review
75
The A.V. ClubIgnatiy VishnevetskyJul 31, 2013
Though Lafosse’s handling of the actors is pitch-perfect, his sense of structure is more problematic. The decision to start the movie at the end and then jump back several years undercuts the drama. Read full review
63
Slant MagazineAndrew SchenkerJul 26, 2013
It's occasionally too icily removed, but it compensates through its perpetual concern with understanding its characters and their untenable situations. Read full review
58
Portland OregonianStan HallJul 28, 2013
A drab, gloomy drama that doesn't provide any real enlightenment about why something so awful could happen. Read full review
50
The DissolveMike D'AngeloAug 1, 2013
The movie fails, but it’s like watching R.P. McMurphy try to lift that huge marble fixture in One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest—at least they tried, goddammit. Read full review
42
The PlaylistDrew TaylorAug 2, 2013
When the final moment comes and it's revealed how the children died, it's less of a surprise than a shrug. Drama robbed of suspense is just dull. Read full review
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