David O'Connell
The First Day Of The Rest Of Your Life @ the Sydney French Film Festival
February 13th 2010 22:05
by Cibbuano
The lineup of outstanding films at the Alliance Francaise French Film Festival continues with The First Day Of The Rest Of Your Life, a remarkably poignant picture of the evolution of the Duval family, told in 5 acts, each a single day from 1988 to 2000.
The film, helmed by Remi Bezancon, is a deeply invasive examination of the conflicts and flaws of family life; with angry older brother Albert trying to be the man of the house, middle son Raphael sitting in his brother's shadow and rebellious daughter Fleur trying to free herself from the family, The First Day... has something we can all relate to. Each of the first three acts are told from the point of view from these children
Yes, there's heartbreak and jealousy - told with style and humour, The First Day... pulls the audience along, even though we're disgusted by the family, which appears to have no joy or love. The soundtrack is used gloriously here, representing the anger and frustration of teenage rebellion.
It's only when we get to the last two acts, told from the point of view of the mother and father that we see the real depths of the family, realistic in a way rarely told in cinema. The mother considers having an affair, as her marriage has become platonic and comfortable; with all her children gone, she's alone to try and rekindle her life.
By the time the fifth and final act comes around, we are completely beholden to the film, engaged in the story, caught up in the drama. What comes next is not shocking, but shocking all the same, and, as you might expect, emotionally stressful.
The First Day... hits us where it hurts - a depiction of a family that we might squint in distaste at, but one that probably resonates with most of the audience. We can all sympathize with the situation here, which makes the conclusion of the family even more satisfying.
I say: Engaging and impeccably edited. At times, fast paced and inventive; other times, the film is satisfied to roll slowly.
See it for: The soundtrack is wonderfully matched to the scenes told here, with a effective use of Janis Joplin's Summertime.
*this image is from the Guardian.
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Comment by Matt Shea