Directed by: Cyrus Neshvad
Written by: Guillaume Levil, Cyrus Neshvad
Starring: Malik Zidi, Brigitte Urhausen, Lydia Indjova
Child (2026), directed by Cyrus Neshvad, is a disturbing thriller with striking imagery, set in rural Luxembourg. The film follows a couple, Anne and Gregg whose child is seriously ill, and pictures their journey into morally compromising methods to help their dying son. Viewers may find this couple of parents difficult to root for, as seeing the number of people they are willing to hurt along the way for the life of their son is brutal. However, those who watch, particularly can understand how strongly they care about their son, and can comprehend the horrors of what it would be like to lose a child.
The film is relentless from the opening shot. We see washed-out, hopeless imagery from the outset as cinematographers do not shy away from the gloomy realities of extreme trauma and child death. Child could certainly qualify as a horror film, with its immense darkness and violence, as the couple gradually lose themselves in the dark criminal underworld.
Similar to Cyrus Neshvad’s previous directorial work, which is made up of several critically acclaimed shorts, such as I Will Be Alright (2026) and The Red Suitcase (2022), Child is considerably artful in its presentation of grim subjects. The film uses largely outdoor settings allowing the natural world to characterise the screen. As well as this, there is an interesting colour contrast in the grading, particularly in the hospital segments, with their blue-grey misery evoking the atmosphere of a horror film.
Despite the thrillingly horrific events of the film, the characters consistently feel authentic in their despair, and they pose intriguing ideas about the world around us. In this way, they feel almost Shakespearean in the way that their doom is shaped by society, but also by their own fatal errors. Gregg, for instance, is somewhat responsible for their son’s tragedy, and therefore refuses to allow him to die as this guilt would kill him. Anne is, from first impressions, an empathetic, good-willed individual; however, she throws all this away at the chance to save her son. By abandoning basic moral principles, and even betraying one of their own, a fellow mother, the couple descend into a world of chaos where laws no longer apply. Viewers may find their minds drawn to “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner”, a classic Gothic poem wherein a moral boundary being broken brings a curse to a mariner’s journey, tormenting him for the rest of his life. Similarly, Anna and Gregg will never escape the guilt of their actions, as Child highlights the way that small decisions lead to a lifetime of owed penance.
The minimalistic. costuming and make-up in Child is incredibly effective in highlighting the shock factor of crucial moments. There is a focus on facial expression, particularly in the eyes of Anna, as viewers witness her desensitisation to the people she fails to help along the way. Both characters wear fairly nondescript outfits, underlining the idea that potentially any individual may be capable of committing immoral acts when placed in a position of absolute peril.
Overall Child is a tough but worthwhile watch for viewers who are comfortable with graphic depictions of child kidnapping and organ harvesting. Though it is desperately dark in its most upsetting moments, there is an immense beauty in the careful cinematography, brilliant performances, and touching tragedy.
Child will be in UK Cinemas from 2nd October