Mélanie Laurent, known up to now as that-girl-from-Inglourious Basterds, makes her directorial debut with The Adopted (Les Adoptés), a story of the ties that bind us in life and love. While it might not be breaking any moulds any time soon, The Adopted is a generally promising if occasionally flawed feature-length debut from first-time director Laurent, with a strong visual imprint and some top performances.

Reserved wallflower and lover of English literature Marine (Marie Denarnaud) has been inseparable from her adoptive family – alcoholic matriarch Millie (Clementine Célarié), frustrated musician Lisa (Laurent) and unreasonably cute son Léo (Théodore Maquet-Fouchet) – since her own parents died when she was young. But this tight family unit is shaken up when Marine meets charming bachelor Alex (Denis Ménochet) and a tentative relationship blossoms between the two. Jealousy and thoughtlessness begin to take their toll as the family struggle to adapt to the new status quo. But when a shocking event knocks the family for six, they are forced to re-evaluate what is truly important.

The Adopted’s main strength lies in its fantastic performances, which are spot-on across the board. Marie Denarnaud is brilliant as instantly likeable Marine, and Laurent takes an intelligent step in casting herself as a character who you’ll take a little time to warm to. You’ll recognise a few semi-familiar faces thrown in the mix, namely Denis Ménochet (or that-guy-from-Inglourious Basterds) as sweet and reserved Alex, who surprises himself by falling in love for the first time. Criminally little-known comedy character actress Audrey Lamy (Ma part du gâteau) is her usual idiosyncratic self as Marine’s control freak boss, and Clementine Célarié (Betty Blue) milks the little screen-time she is given and makes a lasting impression.

There are some genuinely breathtaking shots: little Léo twirling his hands in the air as he listens to Chopin for the first time, or pushing his truck round a beautiful tiled floor as the adults decide how to break some difficult news to him. The cinematography is fresh and bright with most shots washed in a kind of milky white light. At times, the film looks almost like an haute couture video or perfume advert, with a set and costume design dominated by neutral, delicate pastel shades. And while it might irritate some, Laurent’s penchant for shallow focus and close-ups injects the narrative with an interesting, dreamlike feel.

However, Laurent’s tendency to pander to kitschy sentimentalism makes The Adopted an ultimately frustrating experience. The initial cutesy vignettes, mostly involving little Léo bouncing around various rooms, are a little grating even to a seasoned Jean-Pierre Jeunet fan like myself. Perhaps it’s a case of been-there-done-that, but they seemed a little forced – too quirky for their own good. Meanwhile, the final sequence in the snow-capped peaks was so sugary-sweet it set my teeth on edge.

These weaknesses might, however, just be the hallmarks of a debut director who’s still working up the confidence to try something a little bit different. Everything considered, while The Adopted is far from perfect, it’s an encouraging debut from a young director who may well still be finding her feet. At points I laughed out loud, and there were moments I even felt a little embarrassingly misty-eyed. (That might not mean too much, however, coming from someone who gets choked up reading the thank you texts in the morning Metro). Had the film carried on with the story that dominated its first third instead of falling on an age-old dramatic crutch, Laurent might have been pushed to create a story with a little more bite. The Adopted might have run out of steam half way through, but with a strong visual style and an evident eye for casting, here’s hoping Laurent finds the chutzpah to create something truly innovative second time round.

[Rating:3/5]

Written by Avalon Lyndon