Custody (Jusqu’à la garde) (2018)
90%RT Audience Score: 83%
Awards & Nominations: 23 wins & 32 nominations
Custody uses formal restraint — and a series of searing performances — to take a hard-hitting look at the often painful bond between parents and children.
If you’re looking for a movie that will make you feel like you’re on a rollercoaster, Custody is the one for you. This film takes a difficult subject and turns it into a gripping drama that will have you on the edge of your seat. Legrand’s technical ability and sense of pace are truly impressive, and the rising panic throughout the film makes the final act shockingly organic. It’s not an easy journey, but it’s definitely a satisfying one. Just be prepared to feel like you’ve been hit by a tornado by the end of it.
Production Company(ies)
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Stanley Kubrick Productions,
Distributor
Kino Lorber
Release Type
Theatrical, Theatrical (Limited)
Filming Location(s)
Chalon-sur-Saône, Saône-et-Loire, France
MPAA / Certificate
Year of Release
2018
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby
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Aspect ratio:2.39 : 1
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Runtime:1h 34m
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Language(s):French
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Country of origin:France
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Jun 29, 2018 Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 18, 2018
Genre(s)
Drama
Keyword(s)
Custody, drama, French, divorce, custody battle, violent father, protective mother, joint custody, searing performances, hard-hitting, parents and children, judge, escalating conflict, hostage, Xavier Legrand, directed by, Alexandre Gavras, produced by, written by, Denis Ménochet, starring, Léa Drucker, Thomas Gioria, Mathilde Auneveux, Mathieu Saikaly, Florence Janas, reviewed by, critic reviews, Tomatometer, audience score, box office, gross USA, Kino Lorber, Dolby Digital, Scope, 2.35:1, Miriam Besson, Antoine Besson, Julien Besson, Joséphine Besson, Samuel, Sylvia
Worldwide gross: $3,790,303
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $4,460,329
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,211
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 486,404
US/Canada gross: $83,882
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $98,710
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,667
US/Canada opening weekend: $4,947
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $5,821
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,790
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): 3100000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $3,647,999
Production budget ranking: 1,959
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $1,964,447
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): -$1,152,117
ROI to date (est.): -21%
ROI ranking: 1,502
Léa Drucker – Miriam Besson
Thomas Gioria – Julien Besson
Mathilde Auneveux – Joséphine Besson
Mathieu Saikaly – Samuel
Florence Janas – Sylvia
Director(s)
Xavier Legrand
Writer(s)
Xavier Legrand
Producer(s)
Alexandre Gavras
Film Festivals
Venice, Toronto
Awards & Nominations
23 wins & 32 nominations
Academy Awards
All Critics (121) | Top Critics (38) | Fresh (116) | Rotten (5)
This is taut, engrossing filmmaking on a crucial subject.
March 9, 2020
Ben Sachs
Chicago Reader
TOP CRITIC
Mr. Legrand is skilled in the techniques of dread and suspense, and without sensationalizing or cheapening the story, he gives this closely observed drama the tension and urgency of a thriller.
April 17, 2019
A.O. Scott
New York Times
TOP CRITIC
Custody makes gripping drama from a difficult subject.
September 27, 2018 | Rating: 4/5
Paul Byrnes
Sydney Morning Herald
TOP CRITIC
The events that unfold in this brilliant and troubling movie are all too real.
September 21, 2018 | Rating: 4.5/5
David Stratton
The Australian
TOP CRITIC
A peerless fusing of dumbshow performance and background sound editing, there’s a rising panic that allows the final, violent closing act to seem shockingly organic.
August 2, 2018 | Rating: 3.5/5
Richard Whittaker
Austin Chronicle
TOP CRITIC
Legrand in his feature debut shows laudable technical ability and discipline.
July 26, 2018 | Rating: 3/4
Peter Keough
Boston Globe
TOP CRITIC
Shatter[ing] the audience with the actual intensity of a violence done by the closest of people, and the inner distance to reality it creates.
July 29, 2021 | Rating: 5/5
Milana Vujkov
Lola On Film
Legrand’s film tore through me like a tornado through a trailer park.
July 6, 2021
Jason Adams
My New Plaid Pants
We feel completely absorbed by this story even though we’ve heard it before [Full Review in Spanish]
September 19, 2020
Gisela Savdie
El Heraldo
Taking us inside the harrowing reality of a woman’s struggle to be believed, freeing herself and her kids from her abusive ex-husband, this razor-sharp revelation of a movie cuts to the bone.
August 19, 2020 | Rating: 5/5
Stephen A. Russell
The New Daily (Australia)
Legrand smartly and organically builds on cinematic expectations of conflicted characters, demonstrating wonderful control and sense of pace.
August 13, 2020
Luke Gorham
In Review Online
This is not an easy journey, but it is a truly satisfying one.
June 23, 2020
Steven Prokopy
Third Coast Review…
Plot
After a bitter divorce, Miriam seeks sole custody of their son Julien to protect him from his violent father Antoine, but the appointed judge rules in favor of joint custody, leaving Julien caught in the escalating conflict between his parents in Custody.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Denis Ménochet, who plays Antoine Besson in Custody, is also known for his roles in Inglourious Basterds and The Program.
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