Pris de court (2017)

Nathalie Nevers (Virginie Efira), a jeweler and a widow, has two sons: Paul, 15, and Bastien, 8. They have just moved from Toronto to Paris, where they don’t know anyone. Nathalie has just gotten a job at a jewelry store. On the street, as she is heading to her first day of work, she gets a phone call from her employer. The woman tells her that, after all, she hasn’t been hired; management has decided to take someone else instead. Nathalie is stunned, then indignant, and protests. Her caller tells her that, in addition to the legally required compensation, she will receive an extra payment. Disillusioned, Nathalie chooses to hide the truth from her children. Bastien has gotten into a fight at school because some classmates made fun of his appearance. Every morning, Nathalie leaves as if she were going to work. In the schoolyard, Paul is insulted by three boys who pick on him because he is new. Another boy, Léo (Zacharie Chasseriaud), steps in and drives the bullies away. They quickly become friends. Léo has a scooter. He takes Paul to a bar run by Fred (Gilbert Melki). Fred employs Léo as a courier for illicit deliveries. Paul takes Léo to the basement of their building, where Léo leaves a bag whose contents Paul does not know. One day, Paul goes to the jewelry store where his mother is supposed to work. The jeweler tells him that Nathalie Nevers doesn’t work there. He calls his mother and realizes she has been lying to him. He follows her and discovers that she works as a waitress in a bar. Paul starts making drug deliveries for Fred. The job requires him to be available at all times, so he is sometimes absent from class.