The Courageous review: A woman on the verge of losing it all
There have been a lot of incredible child performances this year and now there’s another one to add to the list – Jasmine Kalisz Saurer in The Courageous.
Set in a small town on the edge of wild country in Switzerland, Jasmin Gordon‘s narrative directorial debut follows a delinquent single mother, Jule (Ophelia Kolb), as she tries to survive in a society that won’t give her a second chance. Fed up with following the rules, she rebels against the system and makes desperate choices in order to raise her kids, Claire (Saurer), Sami (Arthur Devaux) and Loïc (Paul Besnier).
There are two layers of storytelling here. The fake story that the mother tells her kids – that they have a new home, that she has a job – and then the unspoken real story that we catch glimpses of here and there, usually in a moment when the children aren’t looking. Jule puts a brave smile on her face and pretends everything is great in their presence, but her unhappiness in private reveals the truth.
The film, which is a nice and tight 80 minutes, begins from the perspective of the children, but we eventually get a clearer view of the mother and start to see things through her eyes. The shift is subtle and unannounced and handled really well. I would have liked more information about her circumstances and how she ended up here, but you can make some informed guesses.
The Courageous challenges our perception of motherhood and what we consider to be a good or responsible mum. Many people will judge her harshly because she makes some desperate and ill-advised decisions. But Gordon wants to engender empathy so we feel sorry for a person who isn’t given another chance to rebuild her life.
Kolb is terrific in this highly complex role. She can’t stop lying to her children and hiding the painful reality from them – and maybe herself. But her facial expressions in unguarded moments speak volumes. However, the star of the show is Saurer as the eldest child Claire, who has been forced to become a second parent and help her mum with the younger two. She is so wise and she sees through the mum’s BS. I was stunned by her emotional maturity.
The Courageous is a bold film with superb performances from Kolb and Saurer.
In cinemas from Friday 5th September
You can also read my interview with Jasmin Gordon here.
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