Synopsis:
MY GOLDEN DAYS is the story of Paul Dédalus (Almaric), an anthropologist preparing to leave Tajikistan. Reflecting on his life, he has a series of flashbacks starting from his childhood in Roubaix—his mother’s attacks of madness, his father’s alienating depression. He remembers a student trip to the USSR, where a clandestine mission led him to offer up his own identity for a young Russian, whom he considered a phantom twin for the remainder of his life. He remembers University life, and returning to his hometown to party with his sister and her best friend, his shifting circle of friends and their casual betrayals. And most of all he remembers Esther (César nominated newcomer Lou Roy-Lecollinet), the beautiful, rude, haughty soul and love of his life.
What We Thought:
My Golden Days is well made and well acted, but I can’t say it’s something I’d watch again. There’s nothing exactly wrong with it, but one viewing is more than enough.
Honestly, I don’t really get the point of it. I mean, I understand the story, but why was it a movie? What was I supposed to get out of it besides a guy rehashing some memories?
It starts out with Paul moving back to France. A government agent stops him and questions him about another person using his identity. He goes on talk about a trip to Russia with school and giving up his passport to a young person to escape and get to Israel. Ok that makes sense. You have to explain why someone else would be using your identity.
Then he gets into his family history and his crazy mom. He talks about her being verbally abusive and then living with his father and siblings. Then it gets into his college years and falling for Esther.
This is where it lost me. I understood everything that was happening, but how is it really relevant to older him talking to the government official? You want to make a movie about reflecting on your life, but this is the tool you use to get that across? Why? Why not just make him reflect to someone else? Why have the other identity part even in the film?
That’s my biggest issue with the film. You make him seem like a young anarchist type fighting for a cause by helping the Russians. He gives up a passport, takes a beating and almost gets arrested. Then the rest of the story is about him loving Esther and his friend loving her and writing letters and fading away from her. Neither really seemed to correlate to the other.
It’s a shame too because My Golden Days looks nice and is well acted. Maybe I’m putting too much thought into the stories connecting (or at least that they should connect) because other than that, I did like the film. The young actors surprised me and handled the material quite well. Even though I didn’t 100% “get” it, the film is still…
RECOMMENDED!
Bonus Features:
- A Conversation with Director Arnaud Desplechin
- Casting Session: Paul & Esther
- Theatrical Trailer
- Two Pauls and Three Esthers: Meeting the Actors from My Golden Days
Recommended If You Like
- Like Crazy
- Foreign Films
- Romantic Films
The Nerds Templar 