And Their Children After Them

Q&A with Ludovic and Zoran Boukherma on March 15

Taking place against the backdrop of widespread deindustrialization in ’90s France, And Their Children After Them dramatizes the long-lasting consequences for two boys following a fight at a party. Anthony (Paul Kircher) is the son of a stern, embittered alcoholic father (Gille Lellouche) and disconnected mother (Ludivine Sagnier); coming from a differently fraught family background, Moroccan immigrant Hacine (Sayyid El Alami) is more vulnerable before the law. One of the most important French novels of recent years, Nicolas Mathieu’s 2018 winner of the prestigious French literary award Prix Goncourt comes to epic life in this adaptation from twin writer-directors Ludovic and Zoran Boukherma. Inspired equally by the works of Émile Zola and Bruce Springsteen, the Boukhermas anchor their saga with pitch-perfect realism in a vividly evoked mid-’90s period setting. At the film’s center is Kircher, who, following breakout roles in Winter Boy (Rendez-Vous 2023) and Animal Kingdom (Rendez-Vous 2024), confirms his promise as one of the most charismatic and compelling young actors in France today.