''The Big Picture'' (French original title ''L'Homme qui voulait vivre sa vie'' – "The man who wanted to live his life") is a 2010 French psychological thriller directed by

Éric Lartigau Eric Lartigau (born 20 June 1964) is a French director and screenwriter. Personal life His wife Marina Foïs Marina Sylvie Foïs (born 21 January 1970) is a French actress. Life and career Born in Boulogne-Billancourt in the department o ...

, and starring

Romain Duris Romain Duris (; born 28 May 1974) is a French actor. He is best known for his role in Cédric Klapisch's ''Spanish Apartment'' trilogy, which consists of '' L'Auberge Espagnole'' (2002), '' Russian Dolls'' (2005), and '' Chinese Puzzle'' (2013) ...

Marina Foïs Marina Sylvie Foïs (born 21 January 1970) is a French actress. Life and career Born in Boulogne-Billancourt in the department of Hauts-de-Seine in a family from Russian people, Russian, Egyptian Jews, Jewish Egyptian, German people, German a ...

Niels Arestrup Niels Arestrup (; 8 February 1949 – 1 December 2024) was a French-Danish actor, film director and screenwriter. Early life and career Arestrup was born in Paris on 8 February 1949, into a family of modest means; his father was Danish and his ...

and

Catherine Deneuve Catherine Fabienne Dorléac (born 22 October 1943), known professionally as Catherine Deneuve (, , ), is a French actress. She is considered one of the greatest European actresses on film. In 2020, ''The New York Times'' ranked her as one of th ...

. The story is adapted from the 1997 novel ''The Big Picture'' by Douglas Kennedy.

Synopsis

Paul Exben is a remarkable success story: a partner in one of Paris's most prestigious law firms, boasting a substantial salary, a spacious home, a glamorous wife, and two sons who could easily grace the pages of a high-end fashion catalog. However, his world shatters when he uncovers his wife Sarah's affair with Greg Kremer, a local photographer. In a moment of passionate fury, Paul commits a fatal mistake. As he stands over the lifeless body of his wife's lover, Paul comprehends that his once-perfect life is irreversibly shattered. But rather than succumb to his grim circumstances, Paul decides to seize a radical opportunity. Assuming the identity of the deceased man, he escapes to a remote region in former Yugoslavia, nestled along the enchanting Adriatic coast. In this secluded refuge, Paul is granted a second chance at being true to himself and, finally, gaining a profound perspective on the grand tapestry of life.

Cast

- Paul Exben *

- Sarah Exben *

- Bartholomé *

Branka Katić Branka Katić ( sr-Cyrl, Бранка Катић; born 20 January 1970) is a Serbian actress known for appearing in the films ''Black Cat, White Cat'' and '' Public Enemies'', and the TV series ''Big Love''. Career Katić debuted in the film ' ...

- Ivana *

- Anne *

Éric Ruf Éric Ruf (born 21 May 1969) is a French actor, set designer and theatre director. He appeared in more than thirty films since 1995. He joined the Comédie-Française in 1993, became a member in 1998 and took the role of managing director in 2014. ...

- Grégoire Kremer

Reception

The film was critically praised. Review aggregation website

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...

gives the film a score of 88% based on reviews from 41 critics, with an average score of 7/10.

References

External links

''The Big Picture''
at the

British Film Institute The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves filmmaking and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery to encourage film production, ...

* * * * *
The Observer, 24 July 2011: ''The Big Picture — review''
Retrieved 2012-12-03

on Antoine D'Agata's photography for the film, in ''Le Monde'', 2 novembre 2010.

n French N, or n, is the fourteenth letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages, and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''en'' (pronounced ), plural ''ens''. History ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Big Picture, The French psychological thriller films 2010 films Films based on American novels EuropaCorp films 2010s French films