Demain Tout Commence is a French foreign language film starring
Omar Sy and Clémence Poésy.
The film follows the story of Samuel (Omar Sy) who becomes a
father overnight when an old lover returns and leaves her baby with him.
Demain Tout Commence follows Samuel and his daughter over the
years as Samuel starts a new career in Paris and fulfills his duty of being a
single father, always putting his daughter first.
Demain Tout Commence touches on real world themes relating to child
abandonment practices, single-parent families and breaking the stereotype of
the traditional nuclear family.
Synopsis
Demain Tout Commence introduces you to its main character
Samuel who works in the South of France in resort country. Where he is a tour
guide, yacht driver and party promoter.
He loves the nightlife and everything that comes with it, especially the women. You could say he lives a good life and loves to reap his rewards.
He loves the nightlife and everything that comes with it, especially the women. You could say he lives a good life and loves to reap his rewards.
However, his whole life changes on one day. After a night
out, he awakes the next morning to a strange woman at his boat named Kristin (Clémence
Poésy).
She claims to be an ex-lover of his and tells him that he is a father. She shows him her daughter, asks him to hold her and makes a run for it. Exiting out of his life like a northbound train. Leaving Samuel on a boat with a baby he never knew he had.
She claims to be an ex-lover of his and tells him that he is a father. She shows him her daughter, asks him to hold her and makes a run for it. Exiting out of his life like a northbound train. Leaving Samuel on a boat with a baby he never knew he had.
Now with a baby in tow, Samuel leaves his job and searches
endlessly for Kristin in London and Paris. Ultimately, his journey is a
fruitless one.
He is left in Paris penniless and jobless and with a baby. I won’t ruin it for you, but a chance encounter on that hopeless day turns into a risky job offer.
He is left in Paris penniless and jobless and with a baby. I won’t ruin it for you, but a chance encounter on that hopeless day turns into a risky job offer.
The remainder of the film follows Samuel as he carves a
career for himself with his new job and decides to raise his daughter Gloria on
his own.
We see as Gloria grows up from a baby to a bright-eyed pre-teen. She
constantly asks Samuel about her mother and Samuel comes up with extravagant
made-up tales to explain Kristin’s absence from them. This façade holds tight
up until Kristin actually answers one of his Facebook messages. Once again,
that’s when everything changes for Samuel.
Important Themes
Demain Tout Commence is a fresh Parisian rom-com with a pretty
good story. That being said, it touches on an array of themes relating to
single-parent families and independent lifestyles many adopt in these changing
times of ours.
In France, statistics show that 25% of all children live in single-parent homes. With 7% of all children
living in step-family homes. Statistics show that this trend is as a result of
an increase in unsuccessful marriages, high divorce rates and more people embracing with
alternative lifestyles.
For example as LGBTQA lifestyles have become more widely
accepted, more people are being more open about their personal statuses.
Leading to many making families of their own through adoption, surrogates and
even vitro fertilization (IVF).
Moreover, poverty is also an extreme factor facing many
French single parents. Over the past decade, the number of people living on less
than 50% of the average salary rose from 4.4 million to 5 million. With the vast majority of whom are young people under the age of 30 and single parents.
Experts point towards causes such as problems with freelance-styled and short-term work contracts with the younger demographic; and the “fragility of modern relationships” for the single parent faction.
Experts point towards causes such as problems with freelance-styled and short-term work contracts with the younger demographic; and the “fragility of modern relationships” for the single parent faction.
In addition, among the many issues of being a single parent
are the stigmas that come with it. Single parents (also referred to as lone parents)
often find themselves stereotyped by popular society.
That may sound a bit trivial, but this can lead to parents becoming isolated or being talked down upon by others (including family members, close friends, acquaintances and colleagues), which can lead to many negative developments.
For a more in-depth read on language and labels on lone parents, you can read this article written by Victoria Bailey of the Vanier Institute, in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
That may sound a bit trivial, but this can lead to parents becoming isolated or being talked down upon by others (including family members, close friends, acquaintances and colleagues), which can lead to many negative developments.
For a more in-depth read on language and labels on lone parents, you can read this article written by Victoria Bailey of the Vanier Institute, in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
As situations for select European single parents continue to worsen, there
are also fears that rates in child abandonment could rise.
In the olden times, you heard stories of young mothers leaving their babies at the doors of churches and orphanages.
Today, as economic restraints increase across Europe there is a tangible risk that millions of children could be living under the poverty line. Leading to parents leaving their children in boxes and cradles at the doors of charities and hospitals. Or to mothers and fathers leaving their children with their other biological parent, as seen in Demain Tout Commence.
In the olden times, you heard stories of young mothers leaving their babies at the doors of churches and orphanages.
Today, as economic restraints increase across Europe there is a tangible risk that millions of children could be living under the poverty line. Leading to parents leaving their children in boxes and cradles at the doors of charities and hospitals. Or to mothers and fathers leaving their children with their other biological parent, as seen in Demain Tout Commence.
Conclusion
Demain Tout Commence is a dramatic, funny and cute modern
Parisian film. Marking for an enjoyable watch.
The film brings together a good script, great acting and some quirky themes to make a feel-good movie.
The film brings together a good script, great acting and some quirky themes to make a feel-good movie.
Demain Tout Commence is a film that will catch you off-guard
with all of the knuckleballs thrown your way. But to the core it is a film
about love and caring for those you love.
Go ahead and take a chance on Demain Tout Commence. It’ll
have you glued to your sofa. And hey, why not? Call it a date movie.
