The film revolves around a young Muslim boy from Belgium who plots to murder his teacher in the name of his religion.

[6] Ahmed, a 13-year-old, plots to kill his teacher, whom he believes to be an apostate after being radicalised by a local imam.

Ahmed is arrested and sent to juvenile detention, where he claims to be a reformed character.

The site's critical consensus reads, "Young Ahmed doesn't represent the Dardennes brothers' most developed work, but solid acting and a socially conscious story help compensate for its flaws.

"[7] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 66 out of 100, based on 21 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".