Rebecca Zlotowski questions with nuance the place of mothers-in-law in blended families

The history of cinema has not always been kind to mothers-in-law. In many films, they compete with other women, usually their stepdaughters. American feature film His mother or me! (2005), by Robert Luketic, with Jennifer Lopez and Jane Fonda, can sadly testify to this. We also think, of course, of the stepmother in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (2005), an example par excellence of the evil mother-in-law. In 1992, filmmaker Peter Jackson (The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit) even turned a stepmother into a zombie attacking her family (and an entire neighborhood) in the horror comedy Braindead.

Few works portray in a nuanced or positive way a relationship between a woman and her daughter-in-law, or between a mother and a mother-in-law. With other people’s children, director Rebecca Zlotowski (Grand Central, An easy girl) changes the game with delicacy and talent.

A teacher in a Parisian high school, Rachel (Virginie Efira), a forty-year-old well in her sneakers, falls in love with her guitar teacher, Ali (Roschdy Zem). The latter has a 4-year-old daughter, Leila, born from a previous relationship with a woman named Alice (Chiara Mastroianni). The romance between Ali and Rachel grows, and so does the bond between Leila and her stepmother. Step by step, they learn to know and love each other. Rachel takes care of the child at times as if she were her own daughter.

At the same time, the French teacher wonders about her own possibilities of maternity. Her age, a decline in her fertility and the announcement of her little sister’s pregnancy destabilize her. Suddenly the feeling of being trapped by a biological and relational countdown invades her. “You are an idealist, I am pragmatic”, she will whisper to Ali, who does not want a second child immediately. A situation of inequality experienced by many women.

Without clichés, Rebecca Zlotowski approaches in a simple and moving way the story of this teacher torn between “the pride of belonging to the group of women without children” and “the impression of missing out on an experience that half the world is going through”.

Several scenes of daily life transcribe with great finesse Leila’s relationship with Rachel and thus give depth and nuance to the figure of the mother-in-law. We adopt his point of view, we identify with his character. The film opens and closes on her. On several occasions she at the heart of the camera’s iris, as if to remind us on whom the action is concentrated.

Another asset of the film, Alice, the biological mother of Leila is not an enemy. “It’s Ali who makes me suffer, not you” Rachel will slip to him following an argument with his companion. And to add: “Let’s stop apologizing for what men do”. The two women are not in competition, their understanding is distant but cordial, each being aware of their role. A beautiful reflection on the blended family.

Gender : Drama

Director: Rebecca Zlotowski

Cast: Virginie Effira, Roschdy Zem, Chiara Mastroianni

Country : France

Duration : 1h43

Exit : September 21, 2022

Distributer : Ad Vitam

Summary: Rachel is 40 years old, no children. She loves her life: her high school students, her friends, her exes, her guitar lessons. By falling in love with Ali, she becomes attached to Leila, her 4-year-old daughter. She tucks it in, nurses it, and loves it as her own. But loving other people’s children is a risk worth taking…