The First Day of the Rest of Your Life

A family is told through five days spread across twelve years. Each section takes a turning-point day in one person's life: the day the eldest son leaves home, the day the daughter smokes her first cigarette, the day the father loses his dog, the day the youngest son changes because of a girl, and the last day. The subject is not family drama but everything in between being withheld. The film narrates nothing outside those five days; in each new section everyone appears changed and the viewer connects it themselves. The form changes tone between chapters: some comic, some quiet, the last one heavy. The music is used to mark the years. It is Rémi Bezançon's third film and an unexpected box office success in France. It received nine César nominations and won for editing, most promising actor and supporting actor. Jacques Gamblin plays the father, Zabou Breitman the mother and Déborah François the daughter. Who it is for: viewers who like family narratives and structures that play with time. Who it is not for: anyone wanting continuity; the film deliberately skips the large events and some transitions are left in the gap.