When a sudden tragedy uproots the lives of two women and their families, they begin to question the relationships they once held so dear. A film by Olivier Masset-Depasse, starring Veerle Baetens, Anne Coesens, Mehdi Nebbou, Arieh Worthalter, and Jules Lefebvre.

In a quiet Brussels suburb in the early 1960s, Alice Brunelle (Veerle Baetens) throws a surprise birthday party for Céline Geniot (Anne Coesens), her best friend and lifelong neighbor. Despite insisting she dislikes surprises, the pearl necklace gifted by all her friends and family brings a genuine smile to her face.

At the party, Alice asks Jeanne (Annick Blancheteau) if she’s alright, seeing her take pills with champagne. Jeanne, however, begs Alice to promise not to tell her son Simon (Mehdi Nebbou), Alice’s husband, worried that he might be angry. Alice is distracted when she sees her son Theo running after Céline’s son Maxime who is holding a box of biscuits and heading towards the backyard. Alice follows them, but only to find that the backyard is empty.

Alice discovers a hidden passage in the hedge between Céline’s backyard and hers, used by Theo (Jules Lefebvre) and Maxime (Luan Adam). Frustrated, Alice asks if Theo has had any biscuits, given his severe nut allergy. Though Theo insists he didn’t eat any, Alice becomes furious. Céline suggests Alice should trust her own son.

The next day, while working in the backyard, Alice hears Maxime’s voice calling for Popeye. Turning, she’s horrified to see him climbing out of his bedroom window to reach his cat perched on the rain gutter. Alice screams for Céline, but receives no response. She rushes to the hidden passage in the hedge, but the opening is too narrow. Dashing back inside, she races through the Alice’s house towards the front door. On the stairs, she bumps into Céline. By the time Alice reaches Maxime’s room, it’s too late. Maxime lies motionless on the ground, dead.

From that day, everything fractured. Despite Céline’s insistence she blames herself for leaving Maxime unsupervised, Alice feels a chilling conviction that Céline believes Alice could have saved him, and should bear the responsibility for his death. Paranoia gnaws at Alice, twisting every interaction with Céline into a veiled accusation.

One moth later, while tending her garden, Alice notices t bubbles shimmering in the air. Her gaze snaps up to Maxime’s open window, where Theo stands, puffing out playful orbs. A surge of panic flooded her as she grabs her secateurs and frantically hacks at the hedge, clawing a path towards Céline’s backyard. Staning under the window, Céline appears beside Theo, claiming that they are sorting Maxime’s toys. The look in Céline’s eyes sends shivers down Alice’s spine. The scene, mirrors from the day of Maxime’s fall, feels like a cruel performance, a test designed to gauge Alice’s reaction if it were Theo dangling instead.

A psychological thriller film by Belgian filmmaker Olivier Masset-Depasse, mesmerizes audiences with its chilling adaptation of Barbara Abel’s 2012 novel “Derrière la Haine.” The script, both thrilling and intricate, unfolds a series of unfortunate events that leave viewers teetering on the edge of their seats, their eyes glued to the screen, searching for clues amidst the twists and turns of this twisted tale.

Veerle Baetens and Anne Coesens deliver stellar performances, their believable actions and reactions propelling both them and the viewers into a realm where insanity and reality intertwine. The clever storytelling and editing cloud our minds, leaving us questioning whether Alice’s experiences are real or figments of her imagination. But when reality slams into the final moment, its cruelty is undeniable, yet we’re unable to look away.

DUELLES (MOTHERS’ INSTINCT) premiered at Toronto International Film Festival on 7 September 2018. It was theatrically released in Belgium on 17 April 2019.

The film received ten nominations at the 10th Magritte Awards in 2020, winning nine awards, including Best Film, Best Screenplay, Best Director for Masset-Depasse, and Best Actress for Veerle Baetens. It holds the record for the most Magritte Awards won by a single film.

Magritte du cinéma (Magritte Award) is an accolade presented by the Académie André Delvaux of Belgium to recognize cinematic achievement in the film industry. Established in 2011, Modeled after the French César Award, the ceremony is one of the most prominent in Belgium.