La Belle Époque
Directed by Nicolas Bedos
- comedy
- drama
The story
Victor, a disillusioned 60-something whose marriage is on the rocks, opts to relive the week of his life when, 40 years earlier, he met his true love through a company that allows customers to return to the time period of their choosing.
What it’s like
Warm, nostalgic and sun-faded, with rich interiors in amber lamplight and a lovingly rendered early-1970s Paris of cafés, cardigans and rain-streaked windows that slides into bright, theatrical sets once the recreated days begin. The camera moves with easy, stylish fluidity, and the palette shifts from muted, tired greys in the present to saturated, almost storybook colour in the past, so the wistfulness feels earned rather than abstract. The score leans on lush, bittersweet strings and jazzy, bouncy cues that keep the mood buoyant even when the story turns wistful. Its vibe is bittersweet romance with a wry, sharp-tongued edge: a good fit for a rainy Sunday, a late-night glass of wine, or a comfort rewatch. Pacing is brisk and witty, with snappy dialogue and playful staging, and the emotional register swings between comedy and tender regret as an older man learns to see his marriage and his past more clearly. The arc follows a weary, cynical husband slowly rediscovering what he once loved. Intensity is low: some bickering, sexual innuendo and adult frankness, with no real violence or gore and little peril. It suits viewers who want romantic nostalgia, grown-up humour and a gentle look back at love.
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