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Bright Days Ahead(Les Beaux Jours)

✭ ✭ ✭   Read critic reviews

France · 2013
1h 34m
Director Marion Vernoux
Starring Fanny Ardant, Laurent Lafitte, Patrick Chesnais, Jean-François Stévenin
Genre Drama, Romance

Caroline has finally retired from her dental practice, but her newfound freedom comes with an intense boredom. At the suggestion of her daughters, she joins a club for retired people and begins attending a computer science class there. She begins to rediscover herself while embarking on an affair with Julian, her much younger instructor.

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What are critics saying?

40

The Dissolve by Adam Nayman

Bright Days Ahead means to be a casual, charming movie about a woman taking charge of her life, but its lightness gets unbearable; the film is so featherweight that it eventually blows away.

70

Los Angeles Times by Gary Goldstein

The well-observed script touches on a number of everyday issues about the aging process — whether you're pushing 40 or passing 60 — that add a tender and enlightening layer to this engaging, leisurely paced film.

60

Village Voice by Katherine Vu

Ultimately, this is all about Caroline, and it's refreshing to see an optimistic story about an older woman who is funny, smart, and desirable, even if her happy life doesn't leave much room for conflict.

67

Portland Oregonian by Marc Mohan

Even if her turn in Bright Days Ahead feels overly familiar, especially after Deneuve's recent "On My Way," Ardant is still possessed of the same Gallic poise and presence, and generally a joy to watch.

50

The New York Times by Stephen Holden

Struggling to get out from under the film’s too-cheery surface is a much more serious movie about grown-ups confronting the depredations of old age.

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