Custody
a XAVIER LEGRAND picture
Synopsis
After their divorce, Myriam and Antoine get shared custody of their son. Hostage of a jealous and violent father, shield for a hunted mother, Julien is pushed to the edge to prevent the worst from happening.
Trailer
Press
"A razor-sharp, genuinely harrowing story of a very bad dad (the terrifying Denis Ménochet) terrorizing his young son and his soon-to-be-former wife. It’s an impressive feature debut for the French filmmaker Xavier Legrand, who duly won the Venice jury’s Silver Lion for best director, and who stands a shot at winning another prize in Toronto’s Platform competition."
LA TIMES
"Custody won two significant prizes, best director and the “Lion of the Future” – Luigi De Laurentiis Award for best debut, both incredibly well-deserved honors."
VARIETY
"Custody is a can’t-look-away hybrid of gruelling reality and heightened cinematic technique.
SCREEN INTERNATIONAL
Soon, Custody is only watchable through your fingers, as Legrand begins to apply home invasion aspects to his drama and everyone becomes short of breath, the viewer included.
’Exciting’ is certainly perfect as a description of Legrand’s debut as a feature-length director."
"It is as intense as a thriller and, with no generic get outs, far more terrifying than Kubrick's The Shining.
CINE-VUE
All four main performances are magnificent. The drama could not be more heightened, as Antoine's narcissistic self-pity turns to rage, but the actors maintain an all too credible naturalism. Ménochet deserves particular applause, although his monstrous father is so humanly despicable that as an audience member you can't help hating the very look of the actor."
Festivals
& Awards
Venice Film Festival
Silver Lion Best Director
Best First Film
San Sebastian Film Festival
Audience Award
Toronto International Film Festival
Official Selection
César award for
Best Film
César Award for
Best Actress
César Award for
Best Original Screenplay
César Award for
Best Editing
Cesar of the School cinephiles
Best Director
César Nomination
Best Actor
César Nomination
Best First Film
César Nomination
Best New Actor
César Nomination
Best Cinematography
César Nomination
Best Sound
César Nomination
Louis Delluc Prize
Lumières Awards
Best First Film
Saint Jean de Luz Film Festival
Best film
Bastia Film Festival
Audience Award
Zurich Film Festival
Jury Special Mention
TOFIFEST
Golden Angel, Best Film
São Paulo International Film Festival
Critics Award
Macao Film Festival
Best director
Best New Actor
Dublin International Film Festival
Best Film Award
Glasgow Film Festival
Audience Award
Febiofest
Jury Award
Miami Film Festival
Screenwriting Award
Colcoa French Film Festival (USA)
Coming Soon Award
CPH PIX
Competition
London Film Festival
Chicago International Film Festival
World Cinema Program
Outaouais Film Festival (Canada)
Jury Award
Student Award
Ramdam Festival (Belgium)
Most Striking Fiction
Molodist International Film Festival (Ukraine)
Fipresci Prize
Palm Springs Film Festival (USA)
Varitey's mention Director's to Watch
RiverRun International Film Festival
Jury Prize Best Actor
Claude Chabrol Prize
Beaune International Thriller Film Festival
Best First French Film of French Syndicate Cinema Criticism Awards
Haifa International Film Festival
Philadelphia Film Festival
Venice in Naples
Lima Semana del Cine
Ljubljana Film Festival
Zagreb Film Festival
Camerimage
Tallinn Black Nights
AFI European Film Showcase
Dubai International Film Festival
Kerala Film Festival
Rotterdam International Film Festival
Rendez-Vous with French Cinema, New York
Hong Kong Film Festival
Richmond Film Festival
Austin Film Society - 4th Annual French Cinema Weekend
Kiev Molodist
Varilux Film Festival
Shangai International Film Festival
Munich Film Festival
26th French Film Trophy
Duo Director/Producer : Xavier Legrand/Alexandre Gavras
Cast & Crew
| Léa Drucker | |
|---|---|
| Denis Ménochet | |
| Thomas Gioria | |
| Mathilde Auneveux |
| Written and Directed by | Xavier Legrand |
|---|---|
| Producer | Alexandre Gavras |
| Cinematography | Nathalie Durand |
| Editor | Yorgos Lamprinos |
| Sound | Julien Sicart |
| Julien Roig | |
| Vincent Verdoux | |
| Casting | Youna De Peretti |
| Production Design | Jérémie Sfez |
| Set Decoration | Emilie Ferrenq |
| Costume Design | Laurence Forgue-Lockhart |
| Make-up Department | Isabelle Vernus |
| Noa Yehonatan | |
| Production Management | Teddy champain |
| Christine Moarbes | |
| Art Department | Jean-Pierre Chanome |
| Antonin Huet Calafat | |
| Camera and Electrical Department | Hugo Bouhier |
| Yannig Dumoulin | |
| Sophie Lelou | |
| Aurélien Py | |
| Tibaud Roussel | |
| Alexandre Viollaz | |
| Ahmed Zaoui |
Releases