Like a plane that's too heavy, no matter how hard it tries, this film never really gets off the ground.

_The Family_ deals with a foster family that has to give up their first charge, who's going to live with his birth father. Unfortunately, the foster mother has grown too attached and can't let go.

The film really works when exploring the addictive nature of love and the extremes to which it forces us. Unfortunately, _The Family_ took too long to reach this altitude, and, once there, wasn't able to maintain it very long.

It's a shame, as Mélanie Thierry turns in an amazing performance as the distraught foster mother and even the child actors don't screw up the movie.

But the surplus of exposition and the excessive sentimentality were baggage that kept the movie grounded and prevented it from reaching the heights for which it was destined.