‘Other People’s Children’ Blu-Ray Review – An Emotionally Nimble Drama That Spotlights A Unique Love

In her latest film, acclaimed French filmmaker Rebecca Zlotowski (Grand Central, Planetarium, An Easy Girl) draws from her own life to depict the emotional trajectory of Rachel (Virginie Efira), a schoolteacher whose desire for a biological child seems increasingly unlikely to be fulfilled (as she’s informed by her gynecologist in a delightful cameo from director Frederick Wiseman). When Rachel starts a relationship with car designer Ali (Roschdy Zem), he’s slow to let her know that he’s a single father, but once she finds out, she quickly grows to love his precocious daughter, Leila (Callie Ferreira-Goncalves). The stresses and strains of close relationships between adults and children are thoughtfully examined in a drama that’s as romantic in its evocation of new love blossoming in Paris as it is clear-headed about the myriad pressures that societal expectations impose on the lives of middle-aged women, with echoes of Paul Mazursky’s An Unmarried Woman.

For in-depth thoughts on Other People’s Children, please see my colleague Cody Allen’s review from its original theatrical release here. 

Video Quality

Other People’s Children comes to Blu-Ray in a 1080p presentation in its original 2.39:1 that is quite fetching. This is a gorgeous, sleek film with beautiful shots of both the city and the vacation landscapes throughout where you can see an impressive amount of detail. The transfer retains the crisp look of the source format quite favorably with no dips even in the darker portions of the screen. The film is filled with natural colors throughout with numerous moments that make an impression from the landscapes to some of the costumes. The interiors are typically a more reserved environment that present with moderate tones that the presentation represents with a pleasing richness. The highlights are handled beautifully, along with the deep blacks that do not appear to suffer from any compression artifacts. The skin tones look very detailed and natural all around. Music Box Films Home Entertainment has provided a quality presentation.

Audio Quality

The Blu-Ray disc comes with both a DTS-HD 5.1 and 2.0 Master Audio track in the original French that effectively conjures a proper atmosphere for this narrative. The sound design is not extremely showy, but it complements the visuals with all of the sounds positioned just right in the mix. The environmental effects create a robust soundscape of city noise and the din of the certain rooms like restaurants and classrooms. This is not a kinetic film in the slightest, but activity in the low end provides some rich texture to numerous scenes. The film utilizes music which fills the room gallantly. Dialogue comes through clearly without ever being overshadowed by the sound effects or the score. This is a lovely sounding release that brings the movie to life in a really wonderful way. There are optional English subtitles provided here. 

Special Features

• Interviews with Virginie Efira, Roschdy Zem and Director Rebecca Zlotowski: A 20-minute piece in which the creatives discuss the origins of the project, the collaborations between the director and the cast, what the content of the script stirred in each of them, the themes being explored, supporting each other during production and more. 

• TIFF Originals Q&A: A nearly 22-minute Q&A with Director Rebecca Zlotowski and actress Virginie Efira in which they discuss the journey to this story, the young actress at the center of the narrative, what made Efira perfect for the role, the challenges of directing and more. 

• TV Spots: Two minutes worth of TV spots are provided here. 

• Theatrical Trailer: The two-minute trailer is provided here. 

Final Thoughts

Other People’s Children is an emotionally nimble drama which explores a dynamic that is rarely thoroughly examined on screen in an effective manner. Virginie Efira gives such rich life to our main character who is balancing what is right for her with what is right for the people who are welcoming her into their life. The results are emotionally uplifting and devastating in equal measure, but never executed in a way that rings false. Director Rebecca Zlotowski does an admirable job of bringing every thread together in a way that soars. Music Box Films Home Entertainment has given this lovely film a Blu-Ray release featuring a top-notch A/V presentation and some worthwhile special features. Recommended 

Other People’s Children will be available to purchase on Blu-Ray on August 8, 2023. 

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Music Box Films Home Entertainment has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.