In Safe Hands (2018)
Pupille
Film details
Drama · Jeanne Herry · 1h 50min
Synopsis
Théo is given up for adoption by his biological mother on the very day he is born. After this anonymous birth, the mother has two months to change her mind… Or not. The child welfare services and adoption service spring into action… The former have to take care of the baby and support it during this limbo-like time, this period of uncertainty, while the latter must find a woman to become his adoptive mother. She is called Alice, and she has spent the last ten years fighting to have a child.
Verdict
Humanist drama about adoption that celebrates motherhood and fostering.
In-depth analysis
In Safe Hands crafts a story about two converging journeys: that of a child who needs a home and that of a woman who longs to be a mother. The film explores adoption as an act of radical love, not as a second option but as a vocation in its own right. The screenplay avoids cheap sentimentality and opts to portray the complexity of the social services system without losing sight of the essential truth: that behind every procedure there is a vulnerable person and another willing to give of themselves. The direction balances bureaucratic tension with moments of genuine tenderness, reminding us that family is not defined solely by biology but by the free decision to welcome and to love. For parents, it is an opportunity to discuss adoption as a Christian practice of charity, the value of life from conception, and the dignity of those who choose to give up for adoption out of love for their child. The tone is sober and hopeful. A work that invites reflection on the gift of life and the responsibility to protect it.