JEUNES MÈRES © Christine Plenus
Jeunes mères: Interview with the Dardenne brothers
There are five mothers: Jessica, Perla, Naïma, Ariane and Julie. Five teenagers faced with the great upheaval of motherhood. The Dardenne brothers tell the story of these Young Mothers in their ninth film in Competition. A sit-down with the winners of two Palme d’or awards.
Can we say that this film is brighter than your previous ones?
Luc Dardenne – We wanted to tell five stories about five young girls who, each in their own way, escape a destiny—a prison. Perhaps that’s why the film is brighter. There’s also the music that comes in at one point, adding light, which wasn’t in the last two films.
The other new thing is the number of main characters. How did you get the idea to have five of them?
Jean-Pierre Dardenne – We got the idea because we went to a shelter. Originally, we wanted to tell a different story about a young girl called Jessica who lived at a shelter and didn’t feel anything for her child. We sort of followed our footsteps. Then we gathered information about shelters, went there, and when we saw how life was at the shelter, it was if the place was telling us, “Guys, what if you told our story?”
Luc Dardenne – In the end, there is a “relay race” feel, even though there are five stories. One girl starts us off with her story, and it’s as if she takes the baton to start.
And in what way was this theme of motherhood dear to you?
Luc Dardenne – Why are we interested in a young mother, someone who struggles to feel a connection with her child and who gradually finds it? It’s hard to say. It’s perhaps about capturing birth, the fragility of life, the connection between two human beings, so that someone can grow—the child, that is. It’s something that is precious for human beings.
This film presents a type of sisterhood…
Luc Dardenne – It’s true that us men tend to portray the rivalry of women. What a mistake! In this film, we are interested rather in the mutual support among these young mothers, and also the help that they get from assistants, psychologists, the director, teachers—all these people who are there for them.
What was the challenge in filming young actresses and babies?
Jean-Pierre Dardenne – A baby that’s crying, that you need to put down… these are things that we have incorporated, and they’re incorporated quickly when they happen. It adds tempo—a completely different rhythm. Something that happens, like that, is part of life and it creates rhythm.