277. In Safe Hands (Pupille); movie review

IN SAFE HANDS (PUPILLE)
Cert 15
107 mins
BBFC advice: Contains brief strong sex

Only when friends of ours went through the process of adoption did we realise just how complex it is.
Aside from the endless invasive interviews to define suitability, there are the court appeals which threaten the child being returned to his biological parents who had hitherto been deemed unfit by the authorities.
And then there is just the business of parenting which, as those of us who are mums and dads know, is difficult enough.
In Safe Hands gives an appreciation of being among those who are involved in the handing over of a baby from its natural mother to his adoptive parent.
Jeanne Herry's film stars Sandrine Kiberlain as a key player in an adoption team which is trying to find the right parental fit for a baby who is not wanted by his young mother (Leïla Muse).
Kiberlain's divorcee has the hots for Jean (Gilles Lellouche) - a professional foster parent who looks after the infant while the adoption is processed.
I can't recall a movie representing such a role before despite there being many thousands of people who are paid to look after children in this way.
Lellouche gives the character great depth as a man who cares deeply about his charges but finds it mentally draining when things go wrong.
Meanwhile, there is high pressure on the biological mother who in her heart knows that she cannot take the baby home
In addition, it is tough for the agency worker who has to help her through the process of giving the child up and make her understand that she has a period in which she can change her mind.
Then there is Olivia Côte's character who has to assess the suitability for potential parents - often being the bearer of straight and difficult news.
And, finally, there is the potential new mum (Élodie Bouchez) who has passed rigorous interviews but is, nevertheless, facing significant self-doubt.
Along the way, people become closer than they probably should or go in the completely opposite direction and split up.
At every turn, there is an emotional conundrum and I found myself immersed in In Safe Hands.
Unfortunately, Mrs W found it much more humdrum than me.

Reasons to watch: A moving insight into the foster and adoption process
Reasons to avoid: Low on action

Laughs: A couple of chuckles
Jumps: None
Vomit: None
Nudity: Yes
Overall rating: 7.5/10

Did you know? According to a 2016 European Parliament report, France was seventh of EU countries for its number of adoptions, well behind the UK, Denmark, Poland and Italy and just behind Romania and Estonia.

Final word. Jeanne Henry: "I thought in terms of a really simple equation: you've got a woman who doesn't want her child and another woman who wants a child. Then I had to nourish and flesh out the equation, which is as lovely and dry as a logical statement. The movie deals with minuses that are added together to make a plus."

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