‘Words Of Love’ review: Hafsia Herzi stars in energetic, lighthearted French family drama

Dir: Rudi Rosenberg. France. 2026. 95mins

Absence makes its presence felt in Rudi Rosenberg’s family drama, which zeroes in on a young girl’s longing for connection with the father she has never met. Writer/director Rosenberg may use a smattering of well-worn narrative devices, but he takes what could be a downbeat premise and fills it full of energy. He also injects a considerable amount of humour into this study of the complications of blended families, and the sometimes tricky but enduring bond between mothers and children.

Injects a considerable amount of humour into the complications of blended families

Writer/director Rosenberg’s second feature after 2015’s The New Kid, which won San Sebastian’s New Directors prize, is bowing in Cannes Un Certain Regard and will be distributed in France by Ad Vitam. A broadly appealing crowdpleaser, Words Of Love is also given a kick of nostalgia by its early 2000s setting. The universally recognisable plot is delivered with an impressive amount of emotional heft, which should also help it catch the eye of distributors elsewhere.

A trip by seven-year-old Abigaelle (Ella Bedoucha) and her mother Erika (Hafsia Herzi, also seen in Cannes Competition title The Birthday Party) to the home of her father (Stephan Chargeboeuf) ends with him briefly looking out of the window but refusing to come to the door. Rather than bringing Abigaelle’s dreams of meeting him to a full stop, however, it fuels her fervour to connect. That mum and daughter come across a stray dog on the way home from this charged encounter may be considered rather handy in plotting terms but Vanilla, as they name the friendly and affectionate mudi shepherd, is a heart-melter for us as well as them.

Part of the reason Abigaelle is so desperate to know her father is because she’s the odd one out at home in the Paris suburbs. The father of her little brother Yoni (played first by Aidan Djouadi then Mateo Danila) may no longer be with their mum, but he’s still very much a part of the boy’s life. While not losing sight of the fact that Abigaelle is fixated on the idea of her father, Rosenberg effectively colours in the rest of the family. In bustling scenes, captured with fluidity by cinematographer Eric Dumont, we meet relatives and friends at social gatherings shot through with humour. We also get to know Abigaelle’s best mate Chloe (played by Charlie Lugassy as a child then Eden Sarfati as a teen), in moments that give a child’s eye view of the situation and help the fabric of the youngster’s life feel lived in and textured.

When a change of address seems to stop all chances of Abigaelle meeting her father, it could be the end of the story. But after Rosenberg fast-forwards seven years, we see that Abigaelle’s (now played by Nour Salam) tenacity has only blossomed. And while the chief focus may be on Abigaelle and Erika, and the frictions between them as a resuts of Abigaelle’s obsession with her father, Rosenberg is also alive to the impact this has on others; particularly Yoni, who starts to have problems of his own.

Rosenberg showed a knack for channelling young performers’ energies in The New Kid and repeats the feat here, giving the children dialogue which is often funny or moving – sometimes both in quick succession – but still feels natural. Herzi’s performance as a mum trying to square the circle and torn between trying to help her daughter and put an end to the situation once and for all is also formidable, and relies as much on body language and expression as it does on script.

Lighter moments – including Yoni nearly ending himself with laughter over a “poo” gag – help to counterbalance the melodrama, while the lilting score from clarinetist Yom and electronic artist Chapelier Fou also buoys the mood. Happy ever afters, meanwhile, come, just like families, in all sorts of unexpected shapes and sizes.