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THE FIRST
DAY OF THE REST OF YOUR LIFE (France)
JULY 2011
SYNOPSIS:
Taxi driver Robert (Jacques Gamblin) and wife Marie-Jeanne (Zabou
Breitman) are the parents of three children - the grungy Fleur
(Déborah François), the hopelessly romantic Raphaël (Marc-André
Grondin), and Albert (Pio Marmai), their eldest. Over a crucial
12 year period, some key events impact on the family's internal
relationships - like Marie-Jeanne reading a shocking entry in
her daughter's diary, Raphaël visiting his wine-adoring grandad
and Albert leaving home.
Review by Louise Keller:
You need to look time in the face, grandfather, father and wine-lover
Pierre Duval (Roger Dumas) says, as he watches the sand filtering
slowly through the hour glass, while his family watches patiently.
Through the elasticity of time, we meet the whole Duval family,
as life evolves and turns unexpected corners. The joys of Rémi
Bezançon's dense and ever-changing narrative lie in the different
perspectives, the surprises and the sequence of events which
can never be pre-arranged. This is a vibrant film filled with
truths of everyday life, when communication, misunderstandings,
circumstances and emotions mesh together like a single heartbeat.
Under the opening credits, we see a montage of images that reflect
the life and times of a family: a pregnant woman, a baby, children,
family events, frivolity at the beach. But it is not until we
get to know each member of the family that these images have
any significance. The narrative describes the ever-changing lives
of three generations whose emotional states and experiences are
as volatile as the tide. We are there as the family dog is put
down, the father tries to give up smoking, the daughter shares
confidences in biology class, there's an air-guitar competition,
meeting the right person, smoking a joint, boys in rock bands,
a protective brother, weekly wine tastings, sleeping with a stranger,
an apocalyptic wedding and romance at unexpected times.
A family is important, says Jacques Gamblin's Robert Duval,
son, father, husband and taxi driver. Bezançon's film explores
what makes a family - the good, the bad and the ugly. It's an
absorbing ride as we journey the ups and downs and get to care
about the people we meet. All the performances are wonderful
and zing with authenticity. Jacques Gamblin as the son who never
understood his father; Zabou Breitman as the wife and mother
who rediscovers herself; Déborah François as the rebellious teen
jolted into common sense; Marc-André Grondi's long-haired college
student with air-guitar aspirations; Pio Marmaï's plastic surgeon
son and Roger Dumas as the matriarch with the enviable cellar
who keeps his heart locked. Soak up every tiny moment, Bezançon
seems to be saying. After all, things can never be the same again.
Review by Andrew L. Urban:
Charting the ebb and flow of a middle class French family, Rémi
Bezançon's film is a patchy affair, much like life itself, I
suppose, with its ups and downs, its highs and its lows. Although
there is nothing arresting in the story and most of it seems
remarkably familiar to us with grown up children, the film engages
with its veracity and its sensitive portrayal of the clashes
and resolutions that many families must endure. Of course, the
peculiarities and specifics of this family are unique; each character
is complete and different, well defined and performed.
Jacques Gamblin is Robert Duval (only one 'l' unlike his actor
namesake) a career cabbie, although we hardly seem him at work
till the last act. He's unambitious but not in a negative sense.
He provides for his family and is content with his lot. It's
an unusual central character for a film, in that respect. His
wife Marie-Jeanne is more complex and more interesting, a mother
who wants to retain her feminine allure - but her priority is
her children. Children who stumble as they mature; Bezançon never
judges them or any of his characters, and while there is seemingly
little action, there is plenty of friction. The dynamics are
provided by the relationships.
As time passes, we are given milestones, and some are more memorable
than others; there is also much made of dogs and their lifespan,
as if to underline the filmmaker's preoccupation with the relative
point of view of the parents versus their children as they mature.
In a way, the film is an ode to parenting, taken at a mature
and sophisticated level. The pains and joys are represented well,
without fanfare or histrionics, but with enough detail to give
us insight and some understanding. While you could argue that
the ending is a bit manipulative, there is nothing intrinsically
wrong with it. Life never goes quite as you want it to - at least
not in my experience.
First Published in the Sun-Herald.
Source: www.urbancinefile.com
FIRST DAY OF THE REST OF YOUR LIFE, THE (M)
(France, 2008)
Le premier jour du reste de ta vie
CAST: Jacques Gamblin, Zabou Breitman, Déborah François, Marc-André Grondin,
Pio Marmai, Roger Dumas, Cécile Cassel, Stanley Weber
PRODUCER: Eric Altmeyer, Nicolas Altmeyer
DIRECTOR: Rémi Bezançon
SCRIPT: Rémi Bezançon
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Antoine Monod
EDITOR: Sophie Reine
MUSIC: Sinclair
PRODUCTION DESIGN: Maamar Ech-Cheikh
RUNNING TIME: 114 minutes
AUSTRALIAN DISTRIBUTOR: Rialto
AUSTRALIAN RELEASE: August 12, 2010
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