Jessica, Perla, Julie, Ariane und Naïma leben in Lüttich in einem Heim für junge Mütter: fünf Mädchen, die auf ein besseres Leben für sich und ihre Babys hoffen.

"After a career of decentralising the camera’s compassionate gaze away from white, middle-class Europe, the Dardenne brothers are back, with their latest film, JEUNES MÈRES, again skirting around the periphery, in a political space beside filmmakers like Ken Loach and Andrea Arnold. Here, the focus is on teenage mothers – a cohort often ignored, or worse patronised, by contemporary cinema." Melbourne International Film Festival 2025

"There is such simplicity and clarity here, an honest apportioning of dignity and intelligence to everyone on screen: every scene and every character portrait is unforced and unembellished." Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian

"The Dardenne brothers return with a deeply affecting drama exploring the lives of five teen mothers. Hopes and fears steer the young women towards bettering their lives for themselves and their children.
JEUNES MÈRES examines the lives of underprivileged teenagers as they come to terms with motherhood for the first time. Living together temporarily in a group home, they are taught how to care for their babies, while grappling with very different personal circumstances. The Dardenne brothers treat the characters with delicate respect while humanising the tumultuous reality that often comes with teenage motherhood.
Jessica, raised in an orphanage, cannot imagine abandoning her child and desperately seeks closure from her birth mother. Julie considers giving up her daughter for adoption, yet her own troubled mother wishes to raise the child to atone for her past mistakes. Brought up by an alcoholic mother, Perla dreams of a stable family, but her delinquent boyfriend wants nothing to do with her or their child. While Ariane has the privilege of a loving partner, both are recovering drug addicts which presents its own challenges." New Zealand International Film Festival 2025