The First Day of the Rest of Your Life

This popular French hit is a buoyant, rewardingly perceptive dramatic comedy about family dynamics and the urge to escape them. Robert (the peerless Jacques Gamblin), who's still being talked down to by his own father, and wife Marie-Jeanne are doing their best to allow their three children the space to go their own ways. Covering the years 1988–2000, we zoom in on the events of five separate days. On each day a different one of the five family members is striking out on his or her own in... more some way, but we're also granted a gratifying picture of what the other four are up to at the time. Remi Bezancon directs his own excellently lively script. He references 90s music and styles with perfect recall to pinpoint the years, while keeping a sharp eye on the shifts in mutual appreciation among parents and progeny. The performances are engagingly individual but gel convincingly into a rounded and moving memento of family unity.