Her Way

The debut feature film from director Cecile Ducrocq is a social commentary narrated through the lens of a mother-son relationship. Set in Strasbourg, Her Way has Marie (Laure Calamy) as its protagonist, an established, independent sex worker who actively fights for her rights as she raises her 17-year-old son Adrien (Nissam Renard) and tries to secure a better future for him. Realistic and compellingly watchable, the film does not condemn prostitution but rather presents it as a form of work like any other. It does, however, point out that as an industry it is in sore need of legislation to keep workers safe and protect their earnings.

At the centre of the story are Marie’s motherly concerns and her struggles to communicate with her teenage son. Adrien has been expelled from school, but his passion for cooking gives his mother hopes that he may get into a prestigious cookery college. Determined to raise the money to pay for the tuition fees before the deadline, she realises that she must make some compromises if she wants to gather the hefty amount in time. She seeks extra work in a club run by a pimp she once knew, and that she reluctantly reconnects with. She ends up encountering more challenges than she bargained for, and all the while she must also motivate her pessimistic son into being proactive about his situation.

A straightforward story without any dramatic twists, Her Way doesn’t show anything that hasn’t been seen before. The single-parent struggle is a topic that’s been portrayed frequently and, while necessary, the conversation on sex work is not presented in a novel way. However, the film is very engaging, mainly thanks to Calamy’s shining, multifaceted performance and the genuine emotions she brings to her role. The mother-son relationship is very well depicted, with frustrations, miscommunication, angst and love all mixed together in a believable way.

Dudrocq’s debut feature may not make waves, but it’s a solid and convincing film that gets its social message across quite effortlessly.

Mersa Auda

Her Way is released in select cinemas and on Curzon Home Cinema on 26^th August 2022.

Watch the trailer for Her Way here: