In sicheren Händen

There is no doubt the subject matter of the French fostering and adoption system is an important topic and one which I guess most people know little or nothing about, and, assuming the system in my home country of England is not too dissimilar, it was very educational for me. Emotion inevitably comes into it as we see an unwanted baby boy pass from his birth, through the system, to his eventual new home. The film is slow paced, which was not remotely a problem for me but may be for some. The acting,and production are all very good.

My main problem with the film was it just seemed too bland. Whilst I appreciate the characters were meant to be realistic, we are nonetheless watching a drama not a documentary and so artistic licence is allowed. When such licence was employed it came across as totally contrived, almost for the sake of it. The script was also just a bit too dry. Whilst life is the primary subject of the film, there was a real lack of sparkle to it, a lack of life.

I found it enjoyable, and in some ways an important film to see from an educational perspective, but feel in the hands of superior film makers it could have been so much better (the Dardenne brothers immediately come to mind).

With all the reality TV there is around these days, if there are any documentaries on the same subject then I would suggest watching them instead of this.