In the Name of the Sons (2014)

Two mothers each try to come to terms with the pain of losing a child after four young scouts and a young man who tried to save them drown, with the inquiry revealing negligence on the part of the supervisors.

Director:

Christian Faure

Writers:

Christian Faure, Hubert Prolongeau (collaborating writer)

Stars:

Isabelle Gélinas, Léa Drucker, Lionel Abelanski

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Isabelle Gélinas	...	Anne Lotaire
Léa Drucker	...	Odile Chasseuil
Lionel Abelanski	...	Pierre Chasseuil
Bernard Yerlès	...	Serge Lotaire
Alexis Loret	...	Richard
Antoine Chappey	...	Abbé Vialard
Philippe Faure	...	Xavier Fabre
Catherine Riaux	...	Irène Fabre
Fabienne Rocaboy	...	Madame Marcellin
Isabelle Renauld	...	Alice
Solal Forte	...	Ludovic Lotaire
Joris Perot	...	Romain Chasseuil
Devi Couzigou	...	Michel Chasseuil
Quentin Morvan	...	Jean Marcellin
Brendan Hains	...	Louis Duquesne

Storyline

Four young scouts drown as well as the young man who tries to save them. The inquiry reveals inexcusable faults and negligence on the part of the supervisors, a fundamentalist catholic organization run by the abbot Vialard. Two women, the mother of one of the children and the mother of the vanished young rescuer will each, in their way come to terms with the pain of losing a child and must face those around them when they decide to seek justice. The search for the truth owed to their children slowly gets closer.

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Plot Keywords:

based on true story | 

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Taglines:

Two mothers united in the same fight: a fight for justice.

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Genres:

Drama

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Did You Know?

Trivia

Based on a real incident that occurred on July 22, 1998 off the coast of Perros-Guirec, with Antoine Chappey's character "Abbé Vialard" based on the real-life abbot Jean-Yves Cottard.

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Crazy Credits

The film opens with a title card that says that although it is based on real events, the film is fictionalized with character names and some events changed from reality.

User Reviews

God sent his angel to Abraham,didn't he?

The FRench scouts are relatively few (France is ranked 16th ,far behind the USA and the UK);there are 50 organizations,only 9 of which are recognized by the French government (it's important to fully understand the film);some scouts do not wear uniforms anymore,I met some of them a few years back when they helped us with our charity organization;but many of them have their own values ,their code of honor,and they do have God on their side(it's obvious in the film).There is a scout literature -which can be found in denominational schools libraries- ,with their writers ("Signe De Piste" collection):their perfect fictional hero ,now a little forgotten,was Le Prince Eric who epitomized their ideal - and self-sacrifice spirit , which is present in the movie too- whose saga sold more than one million copies.

Now for the MTV work:it's based on true events which happened in 1998,only the names were changed .Four scouts and a young man who comes to their rescue get drowned ,because of the criminal (not a truer word) negligence of the priest,responsible for the group;most amazing thing ,most of the parents stand by their saint man ,just saying it was God's will.Only two mothers sue the priest ,which leads one of them to divorce from a husband,securely under the influence of a person we must call a guru (the word is uttered in the movie).

This is above average MTV stuff ,done with a sense of decency: the tragedy is not shown ,but told by the helpless witnesses;the great dignity of the two rebel women (Isabelle Gelinas and Lea Drucker). The movie features strong intimate scenes:one mother throwing a rose into the sea which will never give her son's body back;the other one ,listening to her dead son's voice on the answering machine ,then discovering her husband has erased it.On the other hand,the part of the priest is a little underwritten.

Fundamentalism in any religion is a scourge of society.

Details

Official Sites:

AB International Distribution [France]

Country:

France

Language:

French

Release Date:

17 March 2015 (France)

Also Known As:

In the Name of the Sons

Filming Locations:

Cancale, Ille-et-Vilaine, France

Company Credits

Production Co:

Septembre Productions, France Télévisions, Région Bretagne

Technical Specs

Runtime:

91 min

Color:

Color