BEST OF FESTS

MA VIE MA GUEULE

2024 / 99 min / color

Barberie Bichette — Barbie for short — is 55 years old and really starting to feel her age. She has a sense that all the excitement in life is now behind her. A boring, repetitive job as a copywriter certainly doesn’t help. The eccentric protagonist shudders at the very thought of her work, as well as the passing of time; she’s unable to come to terms with the specter of impending old age. Her upcoming birthday is a great opportunity to decide whether to give in to defeatist thoughts or to put up a fight and rekindle her zest for life. She actually has no shortage of ideas for how to do so. Opening the Directors’ Fortnight section of the Cannes Film Festival, This Life of Mine is the final film by acclaimed French director and actress Sophie Fillières, who died shortly after completing work on the production. It’s a humorous yet deeply moving portrait of a woman struggling with a midlife crisis. The character of Barbie is convincingly played by Agnes Jaoui, providing a strong foundation for this emotionally compelling existential comedy.

• Cannes IFF – SACD Prize