''C'est la vie'' (french: La Baule-les-Pins) is a semi-autobiographical 1990 French

drama Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has been ...

written and directed by Diane Kurys. Like ''

Peppermint Soda ''Peppermint Soda'' (french: Diabolo menthe) is a 1977 French comedy-drama film directed by Diane Kurys. This autobiographical film was her directorial debut, and it won the prestigious Prix Louis-Delluc at the 1977 Cannes Film Festival. The fil ...

'', ''

Cocktail Molotov ''Cocktail Molotov'' is a 1980 French drama film written and directed by Diane Kurys. It is her second feature after ''Peppermint Soda''. A female coming of age story set during the spring and summer of 1968, the film is not a sequel but can be c ...

'', and ''

Entre Nous ''Entre Nous'' (''"Between Us"''; also known as ''Coup de foudre'') is a 1983 French biographical drama film directed by Diane Kurys, who shares the writing credits with Olivier Cohen. Set in the France of the mid 20th century, the film stars Isa ...

'' the plot revisits the theme of divorce and its effects. Set in the French beach resort of

La Baule-les-Pins La Baule-les-Pins is a quartier of La Baule-Escoublac, Loire-Atlantique, France.Rough Guides (Firm), David Abram -The Rough Guide to France 2003 - Page 493 1843530562 La Baule has two gare SNCFs, the barely-used eponym An eponym is a pers ...

in the summer of 1958, it is mainly narrated in voice-over from the thirteen-year-old Frédérique's diary.

Plot

For their summer holiday in 1958, Frédérique aged 13 and her sister Sophie aged 8 go to the station with their mother Léna and nanny Odette. Their father Michel has decided to stay in Lyon and look after his business while the rest of the family go to La Baule-les-Pins, where they will meet up with the girls' uncle Léon, aunt Bella, and cousins. As they get in the train, Léna says she will follow later, since she has to go to Paris. When she does turn up, she behaves mysteriously and it becomes apparent that she has a lover in tow. Léon and Bella reluctantly accept him, though he is young, jobless, and living in a tent. He leaves to go and stay with a friend in New York, after begging Léna to get a divorce and join him. She decides to go to Paris and find a job, for which she buys a car. Back at La Baule-les-Pins, Michel turns up and is horrified to find his wife gone and children abandoned. When Léna returns in her car, he smashes it up and the two then have a battle in front of Odette and the terrified girls, only ending when Frédérique threatens to kill herself with a shard of broken glass. Michel moves out to a rented room and tries to reconcile with the family. Sophie is still young enough to be daddy's girl, but Frédérique has seen too much to trust him again, while Léna is adamant that she has left him forever.

Cast

Nathalie Baye Nathalie Marie Andrée Baye (born 6 July 1948) is a French film, television and stage actress. She began her career in 1970 and has appeared in more than 80 films. A ten-time César Award nominee, her four wins were for '' Every Man for Himself' ...

as Léna Korski * Richard Berry as Michel Korski *

Zabou Zabou Breitman (born Isabelle Breitman; 30 October 1959), or simply Zabou, is a French actress and director. She is the daughter of actors Jean-Claude Deret and Céline Léger. At the age of four, she appeared in her first movie. Since 1981, Za ...

as Bella Mandel, sister of Léna * Jean-Pierre Bacri as Léon Mandel, husband of Bella *

Vincent Lindon Vincent Lindon (born 15 July 1959) is a French actor and filmmaker. For his role in the film '' The Measure of a Man'' (2015), Lindon won Best Actor at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival, Best Actor at the 41st César Awards and the IFFI Best Act ...

as Jean-Claude, lover of Léna *

Valeria Bruni Tedeschi Valeria Bruni Tedeschi, also written Bruni-Tedeschi (; born 16 November 1964), is an Italian-French actress, screenwriter and film director. Her 2013 film, ''A Castle in Italy,'' was nominated for the Palme d'Or at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival. ...

as Odette, the nanny * Julie Bataille as Frédérique, elder daughter of Léna et Michel * Candice Lefranc as Sophie, her sister * Alexis Derlon as Daniel, eldest son of Bella and Léon *

Emmanuelle Boidron Emmanuelle Boidron (born 4 August 1978, in Orléans, Loiret, France), is a French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various ...

as Suzanne, youngest daughter of Bella and Léon * Maxime Boidron as René, third child of Bella and Léon * Benjamin Sack as Titi, youngest son of Bella and Léon

References

External links

* * * 1990 films 1990s French-language films 1990 drama films Films directed by Diane Kurys Films scored by Philippe Sarde Films about divorce French drama films 1990s French films {{1990s-France-film-stub