We Believe You

Alice is a single mother of two, caught in the middle of a grueling custody battle. Alongside the legal dispute, a serious criminal investigation is underway: Alice’s ex-husband is suspected of having sexually abused their son two years earlier. Now ten years old, Etienne avoids his father at all costs and continues to suffer from severe psychological symptoms. 

Today, there are only five people present in the courtroom — the judge, the parents, and their lawyers. With so much at stake, there is no room for mistakes, as each party is given an equal chance to defend their case.

Visually refined and emotionally powerful, this debut film conveys a mother’s fear, pain, and deep sense of injustice with palpable sensitivity. Confined largely to a single room, the psychological drama leans on close-ups and minimalist storytelling to build a claustrophobic tension that keeps the audience on edge throughout.

We Believe You premiered in the Perspectives competition at Berlinale.

Emma Vuorinen