Music Box Films is set to release the French language drama YOUNG MOTHERS on VOD and digital platforms next month, arriving on February 24th, 2026. The film world premiered at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, where it won the Best Screenplay prize and the Prize of the Ecumenical Jury, and launched in US theaters on January 9th, 2026.
Young Mothers is produced, written and directed by Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne, and stars Lucie Laruelle, Babette Verbeek, Elsa Houben, Janaïna Halloy Fokan and Samia Hilmi.
In the film, in a shelter in Liège, Belgium, a group of young women face the challenges and exhilaration of motherhood. Looking ahead to an uncertain future, the new mothers aspire to break free of the past and not repeat the cycles of neglect, abuse, and abandonment that have defined their young lives.
Jessica grew up in a foster family, and must understand why her biological mother could not keep her. Perla wrestles with the unreliability of her boyfriend, and confronts the possibility that she may need to raise her child alone. Julie has a more stable partner, but cannot imagine parenthood until she overcomes her drug habit once and for all. And Ariane must protect her baby at all costs, with the daunting recognition that her home may not be safe for her daughter.
We’ve added the release date to our Streaming Calendar. Check out the film’s official US trailer below.