Sundance 2023 Review: ‘Other People’s Children’ Has Rebecca Zlotowski on Top Form

After two pretty underwhelming features in “An Easy Girl” and “Planetarium,” Rebecca Zlotowski is back in top form, just as she was when she delivered “Dear Prudence” (“Belle Épine,” original title) in 2010. Her latest work, “Other People’s Children” (“Les enfants des autres,” original title) encapsulates, with humanistic tendencies, the happiness and heartaches of motherhood.

Rebecca Zlotowski’s work focuses on stories about women of different ages, as portrayed in films like “Belle Épine,”  (which I consider her best by far) and “An Easy Girl.” These are somewhat “coming of age”-based narrative devices, if you want to put it in a subgenre box. At the same time, it isn’t the correct term as it focuses on different stages in people’s lives. However, in the works she has delivered since her debut, particularly her last two films, it feels that the characters aren’t entirely genuine. The writing focuses on elevating charm and romance. Yet, it doesn’t pursue the essence of how it feels to age or the sensation of the experiences as the years go by. I didn’t feel authentic or grounded in reality — reflecting a distancing effect upon the viewer.

Rebecca Złotowski is Back on Top Form

“An Easy Girl” and “Grand Central” aren’t terrible pictures, don’t get me wrong. Yet, they felt as if they were missing a grasp on reality, telling a far more fictitious story than it intended (the opposite of what a Hong Sang-soo film would be like). Those were the main reasons why I haven’t been able to enjoy her features lately. Everyone was playing a character instead of being human, making their respective journeys quite unbelievable. This took me out of the viewing experience and the story that Zlotowski was trying to tell. Now, everything has changed because Rebecca Zlotowski is back in top form. Thanks to her fifth feature film, “Other People’s Children,” a touching and observant portrait of a woman’s maternal instincts amidst societal strains and fluctuating sentiments, she has been able to tap into the humanistic side of romance and coming-of-age.

It doesn’t reach the stature of “Belle Épine,” but it paves the way for more endearing and thoughtful pictures from Zlotwoski. “Other People’s Children” tells the year-round story of Rachel (played by an always sensational Virginie Efira), a 40-year-old schoolteacher who loves… well… basically everything. She has great friends, loves her job, and her past lovers aren’t a pain. The only thing that somewhat frustrates her is the idea of having a child. Rachel isn’t desperate to have a kid of her own, per se. Regardless, the idea is a constant conundrum that many women around her age face. She sometimes worries about the time she has left to be a mother. Ever her elderly gynecologist Dr. Wiseman (played by documentary filmmaker Frederick Wiseman in a hilarious and unexpected cameo) says that her clock is ticking.

‘Other People’s Children’ Transcends Rom-Com Trappings

It doesn’t faze her that much since she’s met a delightful and charming divorcé in a guitar lesson, Ali (Roschdy Zem). Not only has she fallen in love with him, but also with his five-year-old daughter, Leila, whom Ali shares custody with his ex-wife (Chiara Mastroianni). This story segment may seem like your typical rom-com strategic narrative issue, but it doesn’t feel like such. That’s where the fizziness and bubbly aspects of the story almost got me to put a palm in my face because I thought it was heading in the same direction some of Zlotowski’s films go. It bothered me a bit that it would be a run-of-the-mill romantic comedy. However, it switches gears due to its subtle exploration of a woman’s experience (and understanding) of motherhood.

Still containing a few rom-com strappings, “Other People’s Children” doesn’t include many cliches that come with the subgenre of films. Even if it’s full of charm, that part of the story feels authentic rather than wholly fictitious or dramatized. This feeling is garnered more so because of the performances rather than the pen during the first act. The rest of the film’s script leans more into a humanistic territory so we can feel Rachel’s pain and happiness even more. The ups and downs of life meet one another to create a beautiful experience curated by Zlotowski. “Other People’s Children” contains some plot contrivances and way too many predictable scenes in the first act; the rest of the picture doesn’t. Rachel’s step-motherhood family dynamic is growing quickly, which causes the pains that go with it to hit harder and faster. This is where Zlotwoski’s writing strives the most.

Zlotwoski Creates Vivacity Amidst Heartache

She showcases the maternal longing and the exploration of a woman’s experience with motherhood with a sensitive touch and emotional heft. That’s why she’s in top form. Unlike “An Easy Girl” or “Grand Central” (and even to a worse degree with “Planetarium”), the emotional core of “Other People’s Children’s” narrative is driven by realism rather than flirtatious “laughable” romance. Sharing other people’s children arrives with a balance of heartbreak and happiness. It is quite a difficult journey, one that many can’t bear. There aren’t any heroes, villains, or melodramatic sensibilities in “Other People’s Children.” The emotions portrayed by Efira’s Rachel demonstrate saddened vivacity — happiness amidst heartache of some sort — to full effect.

Zlotwoski delivers a film that provides a lightened heart for its characters and the story being tackled, one where it doesn’t need to indulge in unrealistic story-telling mechanisms. I still think that “Belle Épine” is Rebecca Zlotowski’s best feature (although some might disagree). Nevertheless, her latest work does give me hope that whatever she delivers next will be of this same degree (or hopefully even better).

“Other People’s Children” is currently playing at the Sundance Film Festival. The festival goes from January 19 – January 29. Join us for continual coverage.