Vicky Krieps (Phantom Thread) gives a tour de force performance as a mother separated from her son, in this sophomore feature from previous Queer Palm winner Anna Cazenave Cambet (Gabber Lover, MGFF17).

Lawyer turned writer Clémence (Krieps) is a woman who refuses to compromise. Amicably separated from her lawyer husband Laurent (Antoine Reinartz, Anatomy of a Fall), they share custody of their 8 year-old son, Paul. Carving out a bohemian life for herself in the Parisian queer scene, Clémence’s sex life is a fixture of her autofiction. But when she rebuffs Laurent’s advances and reveals she’s started dating women, her whole life is turned upside down. Filing for divorce and sole custody of Paul, he claims her lifestyle makes her a danger to their son, weaponising the legal system and her writing against her.

Adapted from Constance Debré’s bestseller, this complex drama is deeply affecting and emotionally raw. Krieps is utterly magnetic as an unapologetically independent woman navigating homophobic and misogynistic bureaucracy, and a relentless barrage of lawyers, psychologists and blocked supervised visits.