Alan in Belfast: Young Mothers – celebrating moments of grace and compassion as five teenagers face motherhood (Queen’s Film Theatre until Thursday 11 September)

Five young mums are living in a supported residential unit in Liège as they prepare for giving birth and the first weeks and months of nurturing new life. Each has a complex backstory that explains why they’re under the care of Belgian social services and not living at home.

Many of the working class protagonists are haunted by the ghosts of complicated parents – poet Philip Larkin would have a field day – some of whom are absent, interfering, compensating, domineering, violent, and/or toxic. Addiction issues and poor self-esteem are also thrown in to the mix, along with the nature and timing of their pregnancies, and their varying desire to care long-term for their offspring.

Luc and Jean-Pierre Dardenne’s Young Mothers (Jeunes Mères) gently weaves the five stories together over 106 minutes, flitting from one character to the next, occasionally throwing two or more into the one scene, as we listen to the needs and discover the vulnerabilities of each mother.

Perla (a very impressive Lucie Laruelle) must decide whether to keep her young offender partner. Agoraphobic Julia (Elsa Houben) is a recovering drug addict who is preyed upon by her old dealers and can’t trust herself to stay clean. Jessica (Babette Verbeek) is trying to make meaningful contact with her birth mother. Ariane (Janaïna Halloy Fokan) is only 15 and must learn to develop protective boundaries from her interfering and untrustworthy mum. The least developed story is that of Naïma (Samia Hilmi) who we see leaving the hostel with a job lined up.

There’s plenty of scope in the characterisations for Young Mothers to descend into a grimy and depressing tale of woe. Yet the Dardenne brothers don’t take the Ken Loach route, and instead choose to celebrate moments of grace and compassion. The hostel’s staff have the patience of saints. Every one of the young women shows growth, making some good choices in amongst the dodgy decisions, and taking risks that sometimes pay off. The sense of shame that distresses an older generation is less pronounced in the next.

Motherhood is shown to be exhausting and, at times, isolating. Nurture never comes with a guarantee. The scenes are rehearsed yet remain naturalistic. The characters are given space to breath. Their angst isn’t never over-hyped. Judgements are not made. Babies are seen and heard, stealing scenes with cute glances at their movie mothers.

Young Mothers is being screened at Queen’s Film Theatre until Thursday 11 September.