Film review: La Mif

Set in a real-life residential children’s home in Geneva, La Mif (from 25 Feb) is a drama directed and co-written by Fred Baillif, a self-taught filmmaker who previously worked as a social worker in a children’s detention centre.

When 16-year-old Audrey, one of the girls in care, is caught by a social work student having sex with a 14-year-old lad, the police become involved. Audrey is charged with statutory rape and the local authorities decide to make the children’s home a girls-only service, much to the displeasure of the staff. This initial plot line is set up early in this extraordinary film, but what follows is an exploration both of the fallout from this incident and a look at each of the lives of the cared-for children in general.

Filmed in a naturalistic way using the children and staff who live and work in the real children’s home where it was filmed, this has the feel of a fly-on-the-wall documentary at times and for the most part the acting is incredibly convincing. Central to the story is the care home manager, put-upon Lora, fresh back from sick leave and thrown into the turmoil of unfolding events. Claudia Grob, the director of the real home, gives a stunning performance as this manager, no doubt rooted in her own frustrations with the system she works in.

But this is very much an ensemble piece, and many of the young female actors shine here too as the film zones in on certain characters, revealing a little of the personal stories behind the case notes, their struggles, hopes and dreams. The young women do a great job of making their characters believable and relatable, though not necessarily likeable, as demonstrated in one uncomfortable moment when two of them terrorise an elderly man.

Already garnering awards across Europe, La Mif isn’t an easy watch. As to be expected, life in the care home isn’t easy. There are eruptions of anger and torment coupled with stories of abandonment and abuse. But there are also moments of true kindness and tenderness to be found. “Mif” is the French slang word for family and what is slowly, tenderly revealed in this film is a community of misfits, staff included, trying to find a way to live together with very little money and a lot of bureaucracy.