The First Day of the Rest of Your Life
(Rémi Bezançon): Jacques Gamblin, Zabou Breitman, Déborah François, Marc-André Grondin, Pio Marmaï.
Running time: 114 minutes (16)
Rating: 3/5

Here's a film to remind you of the madness of your own family. Writer/director Rémi Bezançon's drama gazes fondly at a French family over a period of 15 years or so. He demonstrates that families, with all their tatty tantrums, are what make life worth living. What happens to the dynamic once kids start to fly the nest? Papa chugs nonchalantly on cigarettes like a philosopher; mother coos and worries. Meanwhile, the good-looking kids (Déborah François, Marc-André Grondin, Pio Marmaï) are all Gallic swagger. Bezançon shoots it in vibrant colours and it may be too cool for its own good. He has a habit too of forcing his hand: eldest son Albert (Marmaï) moves out and on his first night meets his future wife; later a wedding is upset by bereavement. Melodrama is relied on for excitement. It lacks the richness of Arnaud Desplechin's family portrait A Christmas Tale. But there are some touching moments.