Belgian filmmaker Fabrice Du Welz is no stranger to disturbing narratives, contributing to the New French Extremity movement with his controversial film Calvaire back in 2004. His latest feature is a more personal and somber look at first love seen through the eyes of children, one of whom happens to suffer from paranoid schizophrenia. Adoration benefits from the performances and chemistry between its two leads, but suffers from an overall lack of agency and, quite frankly, an ending.

Paul (Thomas Gioria) lives on the grounds of a mental institution with his psychologist mother Simone (Anaël Snoek), on the condition that he doesn’t interact with any of the patients. He passes his time walking through the nearby woods, claiming various birds as his only friends. One day, after rescuing an injured chaffinch, Paul runs into Gloria (a mesmerizing Fantine Harduin), one of the patients at the institution. She believes that, following her parents’ recent deaths, her uncle had her committed in order to claim her inheritance. Paul is so smitten with her that he helps her escape the institution with the goal to bring her to the supposed safety of her grandfather’s house. 

Adoration‘s is not your typical Hollywood romance. You would usually see this subject matter in a film with two adult leads, but the decision to focus on children gives the film a dark edge that sets it apart from other love stories. Paul is forced to grow up quickly as he and Gloria encounter various obstacles in the wilderness, but that doesn’t change the fact that he is still a child. As for Gloria, the screenplay (co-written by Du Welz, Romain Protat and Vincent Tavier) is sympathetic towards her mental illness, but never shies away from showing the repercussions it has on her and those around her. It isn’t an easy watch, but it’s nothing if not compelling.

Gioria embodies the sensitivity and devotion required to make Paul an empathetic character, otherwise, his repeated decisions to stay with Gloria after her delusional episodes would hold no weight. It’s frustrating to see Paul repeatedly put himself through the wringer for a girl he barely knows, but Adoration asks viewers to remember what it was like to be a pre-teen, even amidst some truly unique circumstances. Harduin is the film’s secret weapon, though. She is asked to take on a variety of roles, playing the seductress one moment and then freaking out about a supposedly murderous hen the next. The camera tenderly focuses on her hypnotic blue eyes, making it so that you can almost understand Paul’s fascination with her. It’s a wonderful performance that could have used a better narrative.

Shot on Super-16mm, Adoration has a crude look that, when juxtaposed with the beautiful scenery of the French countryside, compliments the film’s themes of the inherent messiness of young love. Du Welz and cinematographer Manuel Dacosse keep frames tight and close during the more personal exchanges between Paul and Gloria, occasionally switching to a long shot to allow the landscape to fill the screen. Du Welz keeps things intimate, but it does come at the cost of the film’s pacing.

The third act of Adoration is a peculiar one. The tension is kept at a quiet simmer for the majority of the film’s runtime, never coming to a boil. It’s an odd choice, and one that hurts the film in the long run. It’s a shame because the first two acts of the film, while not action-packed by any means, feel like they are building to something. Unfortunately, Adoration builds to, well, nothing. By the time the credits roll you’ll undoubtedly be thinking “That’s it?”

Adoration is a surprising direction for Du Welz, seeing him opt for quiet emotionality instead of his usual macabre elements. It’s a dark film, but doesn’t feature the usual horrific qualities we are used to seeing from the director. Filled with luscious scenery and a strong pair of performances from the two child actors, Adoration merits a slight recommendation, but just be aware that the “ending” leaves much to be desired.

Adoration had its North American premiere at Fantastic Fest and is currently seeking U.S. distribution.