Leave One Day
Instead of the usual ensemble feature or a film drawing attention to a current issue, the 78th Cannes festival opens with a comparatively small-scale romantic comedy. During the ceremony, jury president Juliette Binoche honoured the Palestinian photojournalist Fatima Hassouna, after having earlier dodged a question at the press conference about the industry’s silence on Gaza. An in memoriam tribute to David Lynch followed. Then Leonardo DiCaprio presented Robert De Niro with the Honorary Palme d’Or for his lifetime achievement. The legendary actor seized his acceptance speech as a call to arms to protect democracy. And as if that weren’t enough for one evening, Quentin Tarantino strutted on stage and declared the festival officially open. Of course, after this deluge of events, everybody in attendance needs a breather – and Leave One Day (Partir un jour) provides just that.
French director Amélie Bonnin’s feature debut revolves around Cécile, who is just two weeks away from opening a haute cuisine restaurant with her life partner, Sofiane, when she receives two pieces of earth-shattering news. Despite having no plans for children, a pregnancy test comes back positive. Then, upon learning that her father has had a heart attack, she hastily leaves Paris for her hometown. Things become even more complicated when she runs into an old crush.
It comes as no surprise that singer-songwriter Juliette Armanet stars as Cécile, given that the ultimate hook is that Leave One Day is a jukebox musical. While breaking into song and dance is often a theatrical, melodramatic device that disrupts the realism of a film, in this case the musical numbers are seamlessly woven into the narrative. The performative element inherent in singing isn’t denied, but is primarily channelled through the other characters rather than directed at the audience. As such, it becomes entirely plausible that their dialogue occasionally turns rhythmic and melodic: as they speak, they become aware of a song that resonates with what they’re trying to express and use it as a tool to communicate. This is further helped by the unpolished, natural quality of the vocals: they may not hit every note, but evoke the charm of a spontaneous karaoke moment.
Another charming element that works in the film’s favour is its playful approach to memory. Instead of relying on static and stagnant “remember when…” narration, memories are brought to life: photographs are woven into scenes and re-staged. In the film’s emotional climax, a pivotal moment from Cécile’s teenage years is re-enacted by her adult self – complete with occasional corrections and a desperate attempt to reach a different outcome.
Despite a number of individual scenes that charm with their unconventional approach, the feature as a whole is less adventurous – and, unfortunately, less memorable. The plot offers few surprises and flows along comfortably, but without much real excitement.
That said, especially for a debut feature, the confident handling of the musical numbers and the visual language deserves recognition. Leave One Day makes for an amusing and tender addition to the genre of films exploring the timeless “what if” question, but ultimately offers too few fresh ideas to truly stand out.
Selina Sondermann
Leave One Day does not have a release date yet.
Read more reviews from our Cannes Film Festival coverage here.
For further information about the event visit the Cannes Film Festival website here.
Watch the trailer for Leave One Day here:
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