It's been a long time since I saw such a sophisticated and beautiful movie. "The First Day of the Rest of Your Life" can be regarded as one of the best movies of 2008.
——"Parisian Daily"
The screenwriter of the film was not successful. Looking at such a beautiful family, the whole film exudes a sad, happy and gentle atmosphere.
——"Francise West"
Despite some deliberate traces, Rémi Bezançon completed this quintet with a kind heart.
——"Wireless Drama"
The film regains the sensibility and subtle skills of play, which supports the passion brought by the music. Some clips are suspected of falling into mediocrity, and the director attempts to increase the bargaining chip of the film's charm. However, isn't moderate sweetness also the proper meaning of charm?
-"Le Monde"
If the structural design of the film is sometimes deliberate, and the screenwriter is a bit heavy, then the inspiration, vitality and precision of the divine help are impressive.
——"Premiere"
We can feel the feelings of childhood conveyed by the film. Unfortunately, the screenwriter has good times and bad times, and Besançon tried to establish a sense of distance between the audience and the characters.
——"Movie Fan"
The film is beautiful, simple and touching. "The First Day of the Rest of Your Life" cannot be regarded as the masterpiece of this year. However, even with such imperfections, it deserves to be one of the most heartwarming surprises of the summer of 2008.
-"Sunday News"
For the French, summer is a holiday day, and it is best to go to the south with the family to bask in the sun, but the movie theaters are full of Hollywood blockbusters without brainstorming, and minced meat heroes fly all over the sky. The audiovisual feeling is pretty cool, but I have seen it after seeing it. I always feel that something is missing and I don’t need to share it with my family. In the evening before sunset, a family of four had seafood salad and barbecue, and enjoyed desserts and ice cream under the oblique sunlight. This scene, if there is another family comedy, it can really be called "perfect happiness".
"The First Day of the Rest of Your Life" is the last cappuccino in this happy dinner. It is mellow, bitter, sweet, and original. Everyone drinks it in their mouths as if they are tasting their own life, with the ups and downs in it. The film is about the ordinary life of a family of five. Like all ordinary French families, his father Robert is a taxi driver. He and his wife Marie Jeanne nurture three children and live in a small courtyard in the suburbs. Watching them grow up, the couple has to deal with all kinds of contradictions, big and small. Being a parent is not easy. The three children have different personalities. The more independent they are, the more difficult it is to get awkward. The eldest, Albert, is rigorous, serious in work, and has a strong sense of responsibility for life and relatives. In a sense, he even surpasses his mediocre father; his younger brother Raphael has a loose personality and procrastinates, and he always needs his father to push him behind the scenes. One step; the youngest daughter, Flor, is also the most troublesome. From an innocent and well-behaved girl to a rebellious girl, she can hardly communicate with her parents, and can only be covered by her eldest brother when something goes wrong. Every day of a family of five is the same but not the same. Director Rémi Bezançon selected five days with different meanings in the film. The lens is like a scalpel, cutting through the life section of the Roberts family, revealing every detail to the audience clearly. These five days were an important moment for the five members of the family. Pregnancy, weddings, funerals, Wedding anniversary , performances, these colorful stones that had been submerged in the river of time, were carefully taken by the director. Picked it up, threw it to the surface, aroused tears.
In this family picture scroll, everyone is the protagonist of life, just like a lens on a memorial day dining table. Five family members are constantly surrounded by guide rails, capturing every ray of smile on their faces. If there must be a focus of performance in the film, it must be regarded as the role of the father played by Jacques Gabrin. Robert can be regarded as a typical French father, the kind of good father who can laugh at home, be called by his name by his son, and light a cigarette for his daughter. This kind of good father is usually not strong, usually a little lingering, kindly and indulgently, and even a little afraid of his wife. But at a critical moment, he can show the majesty and persistence of the head of the family. In the film, the eldest son Albert’s wedding was cancelled due to the death of his grandfather, and the conflict between father and son was aroused in an instant; on the other hand, he could understand and support the younger son’s “air guitar performance” and was in the audience. Face-to-face teaching, without generation gap and stubbornness. Gabrunner interprets the complex inner side of this ordinary father very well, and also sets the tone for the performance rhythm of the entire film. The soundtrack of the famous singer Sinclair also fits the tone of the film with a very appropriate atmosphere. A soothing and warm melody makes the film always under a certain overexposed nostalgia. The placement of the camera also brings old fashionedness. The feeling of home video. 'The first day of the rest of my life' is not a certain day in the diary.
Debuha François, the actor of the youngest daughter, is also a highlight in the film. This girl from The Kingdom of Belgium, who emerged from the film Children of the Palme d’Or’s second palm-to-earth game by the Danes, is now able to compete with Su Fei Marceau is the star of hope on the same stage. The success of the image of this rebellious daughter can be attributed not only to Francois's performance, but also to the precise design of director/screenwriter Rémi Bezançon. Besançon, who has only directed a feature film before, is not as old as the eldest son Albert in the film. Out of the careful observation and grasp of the details of life, the role positioning and dialogue tone of the five characters can be created. So vivid. This is a personal film belonging to Besançon. It has a simple structure and a scattered plot, but it is achieved by the vividness of the characters and the skillful skills, making it a French family comedy that can resonate widely.
The success of the film is also subject to the schedule of the release schedule. Of course, this can also be said to be a helpless move for the theaters in the summer. In the first half of this year, the explosive power of local French films is amazing. In the first half of the year, "Gaulian Heroes vs. Olympics" and " Welcome to the Sticks " broke the investment and box office records in film history one after another, bringing the excitement of watching movies forward by half a year. This also makes the producers and theaters have to spare the golden summer vacation file for Hollywood blockbusters. What's more, all kinds of art films that shine in Cannes have moved their schedules to after September. Under the indiscriminate bombardment of Hollywood films throughout the summer vacation, "The First Day of the Rest of Your Life" can keep the only bright spot of French films, and it is really not easy. Almost all of the top ten French box offices this week are occupied by American blockbusters. Only the unique "Yu" can hold a corner. It has been released for three weeks with a total of 490,000 people (about 3.5 million euros), temporarily ranking seventh in the box office list. Bit. The sadness and warmth of the film appear so natural and casual under the French jokes of family humor. Judging from the reputation of French audiences and film critics, everyone gave the film a heartfelt praise. "Premiere", "World Cup" and "Parisian" scored high. As for some exaggerated scenes in the film, isn’t this a French movie?
Luc, August 16, 2008 in Reims, France
Published in "Watching Movies" in September
