We Believe You (On Vous Croit) Review: Families Fight Together

We Believe You (On Vous Croit), a familial-focused story, is just as cinematic as the biggest thrill ride major studios can muster.

I would argue that, sometimes, even a small, familial-focused story can be just as cinematic as the biggest thrill ride major studios can muster. And Berlinale’s Perspectives gives us one perfect example in We Believe You (On Vous Croit).

We Believe You tells the story of Alice (Myriem Akheddiou, from Titane) a single mother with two children, who is forced to uphold her sole custody against her ex-husband (Laurent Capelluto), through the court system. As the film opens, it is made clear that at least one of the children, her son Etienne (Ulyssse Goffin), has behavioral issues, as indicated by him running away as they attempt to make their way to court. Her daughter, Lila (Adèle Pinckaers), seems aloof and annoyed by the whole process. As the film progresses, writer/directors Charlotte Devillers and Arnaud Dufeys (in their directorial debuts) manage to unfurl full character studies of the mother and her children, all in a brief 78 minute runtime.

However, they never leave any doubt as to whose story this is. Alice is the focus, completely. Even in later moments, in which plot points are revealed, they are shown through recordings that Alice (and the audience) is finally shown. The most important item in the entire film is Akheddiou’s face, shown in intricate detail by cinematographer Pépin Struye. From that opening, we see her struggle, both to manage her children and control her own emotions. She deals with these, with varying levels of success. The movie basically dares us to judge her before learning more about her marriage and the effect it has had on her and her children.

There are painful moments in which she is forced to remain quiet while lawyers, judges, experts, and even her ex-husband are speaking. The most cinematic moments are not in gigantic scope, but in close-up. The direction, paired with expert editing from Nicolas Bier, shows us a depth of character in tight focus. The twitch at her lips, the widening of her eyes, her uncomfortable shifting in her chair; they all tell a detailed story even without her vocal input. Devillers and Dufeys show an impressive amount of patience and faith, both in the details of their script and our connection to Alice. At one level or another, we have all known the struggle of staying silent when others are lying, especially when backed up by a system. Likely, for us, it is not a judicial system that seems to want to reunite families no matter the horrors of the case, but still, her performance is easily relatable. 

As we are allowed to know her children, and her deep love for them, the film really opens up. We understand Etienne’s outbursts. We see Lila’s silence as protection. Additionally, we get to view them as having each other’s backs, no matter what. As the film separates them for interviews, we slowly gain the sense of importance of them all being in lockstep, telling the same story. Although we think we know what the truth is, different perspectives can cause inaccuracy. But more importantly, we are allowed to view them as an actual family unit, not just a group of people with problems. 

We Believe You (On Vous Croit) shows a barely contained rage. At the system, at the evils of humanity, at the need to scream when the world bids us to be silent. There are some wrongs that should be seen as purely wicked, and the film shows one of these. And yet, this family must go through the motions; they must be the bigger people. Unleashed rage at a system might feel like the moral option, but when it comes to keeping a family together, it must be contained. This containment creates imperfect, but complete, people who stand together for what is right. There may be no guarantees of a happy ending, but we at least have a chance. In a disturbing, dangerous world, that chance is worth fighting for, as are the people we love.

We Believe You (On Vous Croit) premiered at the Berlin Film Festival on February 17, 2025. Read our Berlin Film Festival reviews and our list of 20 films to watch at the 2025 Berlin Film Festival!