The Courageous

In the stunning Valais region of Switzerland, 40-year-old Jule (Ophélia Kolb), a spirited but struggling single mother, battles the invisible weight of poverty and societal judgment in Jasmin Gordon’s sure-footed, confident debut feature. Jule’s children – ten-year-old Claire, eight-year-old Loïc, and six-year-old Sami – must learned to fend for themselves as their unpredictable mother, whose criminal past is evident in her police ankle bracelet, is prone to extended periods of mysterious absence. Gordon’s well observed film examines the obstacles that prevent this family from achieving a life that matches their idyllic surroundings, the beauty of the Alpine setting contrasting sharply with their hardscrabble life on the margins of an affluent society. Desperate to protect her children and preserve their fragile joy, Jule crafts a life of illusion and resilience, determined to prove, above all, that she is still a good mother.