Amélie Bonnin’s Leave One Day (Partir un jour) is light and charming, working a familiar theme with a twist – not quite a musical, the film is a dramedy with songs. Singer-songwriter Juliette Armanet shines as Cécile, imbuing the character with a mix of strength and vulnerability. Winner of the television competition Top Chef, she is about to open her own restaurant in Paris, together with her partner Sofiane (Tewfik Jallab). Her father’s heart attack compels her to return to the small town in the Loir-et-Cher region, where her parents own a roadside restaurant. There, predictably, unresolved issues with her parents turn up the heat in the kitchen, while the encounter with her high school crush Raphaël Tenreiro (Bastien Bouillon), ignites a different kind of spark. In the typical “celebrity daughter returns to her hometown after a long absence” the protagonist resolves her issues and discovers that true happiness lies neither in fame nor success, but in family, discarding her city boyfriend for her faithful high school sweetheart. Bonnin appears to be aiming for something more subtle and realistic, there are no dramatic reconciliations or epiphanies. Instead, there are the small moments of everyday life – conversations with her mother, Fanfan (Dominique Blanc), and father, Gérard (François Rollin), her old friends and others, in the kitchen of the restaurant, at a local fair, and in Cécile’s childhood bedroom.
These moments resonate even more as they are often accompanied by songs, expressing feelings beyond words. The soundtrack is composed of songs popular in France, that will probably be familiar to French-speaking audiences. But one need not recognize the songs to enjoy their effect. Unlike many musicals, there are no big numbers here, rather, the music is woven into the narrative, much like music is present in our everyday lives. Some of my favorite scenes were songs, from the ebullient “Alors on danse” (Stromae) as Cécile and Sofiane dance out the tensions of the two week countdown to the opening of their restaurant, to the sombre and raw rendition of “Mourir sur scene” (Dalida) by Gerard as he works in the kitchen, singing “I want to die performing” not realizing that Cécile is standing in the doorway, listening. A heartfelt conversation between Cécile and her mother takes place in the family van, and the frustration and worry over Gérard stubborn refusal to care for his health is lightened by their singing “Paroles paroles” (Dalida and Alain Delon, music by Gianni Ferrio).
Although the film encompasses a number of serious issues – Gérard’s precarious health, the struggle to keep the restaurant going, Cécile’s pregnancy (not a spoiler, it’s mentioned in the first few minutes), the tensions of opening a restaurant, and her respective relationships with Sofiane and Raphaël – they are never explored in depth. This is both to the film’s detriment and benefit. The lack of depth and resolution render Leave One Day a more superficial and bland film, even frustrating in its refusal to seriously engage with the problems raised within. However, this approach also enhances its lightness – despite some heavy themes, resulting in a feel-good film with pop-music flair.
Director: Amélie Bonnin; Screenwriters: Bonnin, Dimitri Lucas; Cinematographer: David Cailley; Editor: Héloïse Pelloquet; Composers: PR2B, Keren Ann Zeidel, Thomas Kramayer, Germain Izydorczyk, Emma Prat, Theo Kaiser, Chilly Gonzales; Cast: Juliette Armanet, Bastien Bouillon, François Rollin, Tewfik Jallab, Dominique Blanc
