From the sunny French Riviera, our Cannes critic and correspondent Shannon Cotter braves the darkness to give you her take on Amélie Bonnin’s debut film Partir un Jour (Leave One Day)
Amélie Bonnin’s debut film brings a warm start to the 78th Festival de Cannes.
Rolling off the 2023 César Award for Best Short Fiction Film, Amélie Bonnin completes another milestone as the first director to open Cannes with a debut feature. Partir un Jour (Leave One Day) is a jukebox musical composed of hit French songs used to reflect the narrative, upon which workaholic chef Cécile (played by popular French singer Juliette Armanet in her first film role), set to open a new restaurant, grapples with the added stress of her father’s ailing health and an unexpected pregnancy. Returning to her hometown, Cécile is thrust into more complications when she reunites with former teenage flame Raph (Bastien Bouillon).
Partir un Jour is a quasi-dramedy-foodie-musical mix, with its strongest contribution coming from the camaraderie of its supporting cast. As Cécile reunites with old friends (Mhamed Arezki and Pierre-Antoine Billon), we witness tumultuous drinking games, disparaging remarks, and other displays of friendship which flow genuinely from Armanet’s script, as opposed to being stilted displays designed to create depth. These performances are further backed by Cécile’s weary mother, Fanfan (Dominique Blanc), and Cécile’s celebrity chef boyfriend-but-not-boyfriend, Sofiane (Tewfik Jallab), who exists as the other unwilling point of this love triangle.
Armanet’s debut does not stray too much from the well-worn path, but we can at least see the sparks of romance fly. Bouillon’s swashbuckling, motorbike-riding, cool-guy attitude proves winningly charming. Having been left in the lurch at Cécile’s departure to Paris as teenagers, he stands as the alternative for Cécile, whose ambition has distanced her from her hometown. Here lies the root of the drama: Cécile’s (perhaps correctly) perceived snobbery of her family’s small-town life creates barbs between her and those around her. What starts as a funny gag evolves into one of the more powerful moments of the film, as Cécile’s father Gérard (François Rollin), having proudly written down Cécile’s televised quotes, also reveals he noted her thinly veiled digs at their family business. It seems, in the growing years, she has done damage to more than just potential flames.
Bonnin treads the usual questions: should Cécile keep her baby or not? Should she stay in her hometown or return to this soon-to-be Michelin-starred restaurant? Should she return to the stability of Sofiane or look further into what could have been with Raph? Yet there are sharp twists, specifically around the midpoint, which ensure this is not your usual romantic tangle. Bonnin’s choice to leave them unaddressed suggests a confidence which will serve her audiences further down the line as she develops her filmmaking career.
While the musical sequences can sometimes feel like an interruption to the relaxed pace of the film, two standout scenes – one set in a bar, and another set in an ice skating rink – serve as the movie’s highlights. The latter, a deliberate recreation of Raph and Cécile’s teenage years, evokes the buzz of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, all gorgeously lit by cinematographer David Cailley.
Partir un Jour is certainly a “French opener” to the Cannes Film Festival. But with food, fluffy songs, and fighting boyfriends, what’s wrong with that?
Partir un Jour premiered in Cannes on Tuesday, 13th May 2025.
