Ça ira mieux demain (2001)

ÇA IRA MIEUX DEMAIN, from French director Jeanne Labrune, is divided into five succinct chapters. The title of each----"Shock Wave," "Whirlwinds," and so forth--suggess the progression of a wave of activity that approaches, arrives, then passes. Each chapter is devoted to one of the five main characters in the film, each of whom experiences a jarring, stressful experience during an average day in Paris. Marie (Isabelle Carré) is a young, blond, high-strung cellist who thinks that her wallet has been stolen by a pickpocket on the subway. Elisabeth (Jeanne Balibar), a friend of Marie's, has just moved into a new apartment but now she has no space for a beautiful antique dresser that is a family heirloom. Sophie (Nathalie Baye) is the phobic wife of the quirky psychoanylist-chiropractor Xavier (Jean-Pierre Darroussin), who meets Elisabeth by chance and agrees to take the dresser. As the relationships between these characters develop with each subsequent chapter, Labrune illustrates both the pleasure and the tension that can come out of meeting new people and being influenced by them. CA IRA MIEUX DEMAIN is a frenetic day-in-the-life story with a unique narrative style.

This film was screened as part of the Rendez-Vous with French Cinema 2001 festival organized by The Film Society of Lincoln Center in New York City.