All to Play For

8/4/2023

“All to Play For” is a mostly by-the-book family drama that’s executed well. Director and co-writer Delphine Deloget‘s story explores the struggle faced by single working parents and a system that seems to be against them at every turn. Deloget’s film makes fair points on both sides of a complicated issue, even if the narrative itself isn’t complex. Sylvie (Virginie Efira) is a single mom to her two children, Sofiane (Alexis Tonetti) and Jean-Jacques (Félix Lefebvre). She works late nights to make ends meet, and often leaves her sons alone at home while she does what she can to make money. One evening, Sofiane burns himself while trying to make a snack, and the incident is reported to the authorities. In the blink of an eye, child welfare agents place the boy in foster care, ripping him

1/19/2025

So here's a question. Imagine you live in a flat and one of your fellow residents has a job that works late into the evening whilst her two sons are at home on their own. "Jean-Jacques" (Félix Lefebvre) is the older and "Sofiane" (Alex Tonetti) is the younger with a penchant for chips/fries at 3am. When he has an incident with the hot oil that necessitates his brother taking him, in a shopping trolley, to hospital and the authorities decide maybe he is better in care what would you think? Never mind the issues around responsible parenting. What about the risks to the other folks living there who might well wake up amidst the ruins of their possessions, if they wake up at all? Returning mother "Sylvie" (Virginie Efira) couldn't care less about us, indeed as this drama unfolds it appears tha