As much as I adore Mélanie Laurent as both an actor and a director, it's taken me a long time to get around to watching this, and I couldn't say why. I'm so glad to have gotten over that reticence, however, because simply put, from top to bottom I love it. Whether a scene specifically employs close-up shots or not, there's a gratifying personal touch to Laurent's direction here, an intimacy, that's feels very appropriate for a story of drama that hits so close to home. That certainly stems as well from the screenplay she wrote with Morgan Perez and Christophe Deslandes, a blend of awkward interpersonal relations, weighty emotional material, and sparing humor to offer light counterbalance. I don't think it's unreasonable to also say that some aspects of the narrative are borderline kitschy, representative of tropes, but even then I think the writing is otherwise strong enough, and certainly the direction, to compensate for such commonness. Yes, I was hesitant to watch 'Les adoptés,' or 'The adopted,' for reasons I can't explain, but the fact is that this is just as terrific as most anything Laurent has made, and possibly more impactful.
Laurent again illustrates what an outstanding actor she is, playing Lisa with a range that if anything is perhaps more soft and fragile, and less severe, than what some of her other roles have required; as ever, it's simply a joy to watch her. It's also a small point of delight to see her act opposite Denis Ménochet, meaningfully sharing scenes a couple years after they both starred, separately, in Quentin Tarantino's 'Inglourious Basterds.' As much as Ménochet impressed with the quiet desperation of his one shining moment in the latter, here we get to see far more of his excellent skill set as a performer, and it's clear to me I need to seek out more of his films. This is hardly to count out anyone else on hand, for Marie Denarnaud, Clémentine Célarié, Audrey Lamy, and even young Théodore Maquet-Foucher all unquestionably make their mark on this picture, but there can be no doubt that Ménochet and Laurent are the chief stars, and very much prove why in these 100 minutes. All the great skills of the cast, of Laurent as director, and of the writing team are bent toward making the story as hard-hitting as it could be while remaining smartly balanced, avoiding the pitfalls of what could have very easily become melodrama. There's a congenial gentleness to how the feature is crafted that lets the gravity of each beat land delicately, but also nevertheless be all the more ponderous for how they are sneak in under the proverbial radar. And I couldn't be more pleased with the result.
It rather goes without saying that this is wonderfully well made in every other capacity, including fine cinematography, shrewd editing, lovely hair, makeup, and costume design, and solid production design. While it mostly keeps to the background, any music employed throughout is tasteful and lends to the overarching mood. Yet the considerable strength 'Les adoptés' bears inarguably lies in the core pillars of its construction: sharp writing, including very real, human characters, a compelling and engaging narrative, and powerful, dynamic scene writing; superb acting, bringing those characters and the tale to vivid life; and the supreme intelligence and mindful hand orchestrating every shot and scene, showing even in only her directorial debut that Laurent had firm command of the medium. Truthfully I think it would be very easy to speak at much greater length about how very much I enjoyed this, but maybe not without betraying spoilers. Suffice to say that for whatever I thought the movie might be, and for whatever infinitesimal reservations might have fleetingly entered my mind at one point or another throughout, all worries are handily cast aside by the tremendous quality this boasts. It strikes deep and hard, but only with brilliant finesse, and it might actually be my favorite of anything that Laurent has directed to date, which is saying a lot. I'm so very happy with just how good 'Les adoptés' is, and I can only give it my hearty, enthusiastic recommendation - in my opinion this is absolutely worth anyone's time.
