Particle.news
Download on the App Store

Ma Frère Opens in France With Praise for Its Young Leads

Early reviews single out lived-in performances alongside unconventional child-casting plus long-take direction.

Overview

  • The second feature from Lise Akoka and Romane Guéret arrives in French cinemas on January 7 after an earlier Cannes presentation.
  • Shirel Nataf and Fanta Kebe star as novice camp leaders guiding children from Paris suburbs during a summer stay in the Drôme, with Amel Bent in a prominent role.
  • The filmmakers spent about a year on a street casting that saw roughly 1,500 children and ultimately selected 18 from varied backgrounds.
  • Production recreated a functioning summer camp to comply with child work rules, while on set the directors guided actors via earpieces and shot marathon takes of around forty minutes.
  • Critics praise the leads’ authenticity and the film’s humane comic tone, though at least one review from Sud Ouest finds the narrative execution overly calculated.