• Mothers’ Instinct

    Directed by Olivier Masset-Depasse
    Belgium | 97 minutes | World Cinema Now

  • Mothers’ Instinct

    Directed by Olivier Masset-Depasse
    Belgium | 97 minutes | World Cinema Now

  • Mothers’ Instinct

    Directed by Olivier Masset-Depasse
    Belgium | 97 minutes | World Cinema Now

The spirit of Alfred Hitchcock hovers over this lusciously designed psychological thriller set in 1960s Brussels. Two neighboring suburban housewives are best friends — until a tragic accident breaks the harmony between their clans, and paranoia and distrust take hold.

film synopsis

The spirit of suspense master Alfred Hitchcock hovers over this beautifully designed, lushly scored psychological thriller set in 1960s Brussels. Suburban wives Alice and Céline live side by side in identical bourgeois houses, functioning almost like two halves of a single family. They are best friends, as are their sons, Theo and Maxime — until one day a tragic accident breaks the harmony between the clans, and paranoia and distrust take hold. While doing her best to be a good, compassionate neighbor, spunky Alice (Veerle Baetens, The Broken Circle Breakdown) finds her mother’s intuition pulling her in a different direction. But with her handsome husband appalled that she would choose instinct over civility, how can Alice protect her family? Director Olivier Masset-Depasse crafts a killer role for his real-life wife Anne Coesens as Céline and plants red herrings with a skill that would have made Hitchcock proud.

film details

Director: Olivier Masset-Depasse
Producers: Versus Productions, Haut & Court
Screenwriter: Olivier Masset-Depasse, Giordano Gederlini
Cinematographers: Hichame Alaoui
Editor: Damien Keyeux
Music: Frédéric Vercheval
Cast: Veerle Baetens, Anne Coesens, Mehdi Nebbou, Arieh Worthalter, Jules Lefebvre, Luan Adam
Original Language Title: Duelles
Country: Belgium
Language: in French with English subtitles (deaf-friendly)
Year: 2018
Running Time: 97 minutes
Primary Company: Indie Sales

director biography

guests in attendance

Director Olivier Masset-Depasse and Producer Jacques Henri Bronckart will be in attendance on January 9 and 10.

2019 Film Festival