Demain to commence (2016)

Directed by: Hugo Gelin | 117 minutes | drama, comedy | Actors: Omar Sy, Clémence Poésy, Antoine Bertrand, Ashley Walters, Gloria Colston, Clémentine Célarié, Anna Cottis, Raphael von Blumenthal, Ben Homewood, Alice David, Mona Walravens, Raquel Cassidy, Howard Crossley, Anabel Lopez, Cécile Cassel

Since the overwhelming success of ‘Intouchables’ (2011), Omar Sy has become a global star. The cheerful Frenchman, son of a Senegalese father and a mother from Mauritania, became so popular in his homeland that he decided to move to Los Angeles with his family. Not only good for the peace of mind of the Sy family – Omar and his wife Hélène have four children – but also for the career of the father of the house. Since then, Sy has starred in major Hollywood productions such as ‘X-Men: Days of Future Past’ (2014), ‘Jurassic World’, ‘Burnt’ (both 2015) and the third part of the ‘Da Vinci Code’ series, ‘Inferno’ (2016). In between, he also regularly travels to France to shoot, including for ‘Demain tout commence’ (2016), a film by Hugo Gélin, who previously made ‘Comme des frères’ (2012). Gélin comes from a real acting family – his grandfather and grandmother were Daniel Gélin and Danièle Delorme (‘Gigi’, 1949) and none other than Maria Schneider was born from his grandfather’s extramarital affair – and was in front of the camera herself from an early age. Later, however, he appeared to feel more for a career behind the scenes. Versatile as he is, he has worked as a producer, screenwriter, cinematographer, assistant director and director. ‘Demain tout commence’ is his second feature film as a director.

Samuel (Omar Sy) leads a riotous life on the southern French coast. He earns some money as a captain on a luxury yacht, and in the evenings he party and beast that it is a delight. This regularly gets him into trouble with his stressed employer Samantha (Clémentine Célarié), but with his immeasurable charm, Samuel knows how to talk himself out of anything. Until one morning suddenly an old flame stands in front of him. This Kristin (Clémence Poésy) claims that she had a one-night stand with him a year ago and then puts a three-month-old baby in his hands, only to leave with the northern sun. Stunned and with the courage of despair, Samuel sees only one way out: travel after Kristin to London to give her the baby back. But Kristin seems to have disappeared from the face of the earth. Shifting, not fluent in language, and with a crying child on his arm, Samuel tries to find his way in the British metropolis, until he bumps into French film producer Bernie (Antoine Bertrand). He arranges a job for him as a stuntman and offers him and the baby shelter. Fast forward to eight years later: Samuel is still irresponsible, but thanks to his unbridled love and energy, baby Gloria has grown into a feisty and cheerful girl (Gloria Colston). They live together in a beautiful London apartment, the dream of every eight-year-old: complete with a ball pit, a slide, huge Playmobil dolls and a wall with a world map made of Lego bricks. The sofa is a huge fluffy blue elephant and candy vending machines hang on the wall. Father and daughter live a fantastic life, thanks to Samuel’s career as a stuntman. But then mother Kristin is suddenly at the door again: she demands her daughter back…

‘Demain tout commence’ is a remake of the Mexican film ‘No ce aceptan devoluciones’ (2013). Where it starts lightly, with the endearing antics that Omar Sy seems to have patented, Gélin chooses to end heavy. A contrast that feels forced. For a long time, actually until Kristin suddenly reappears, ‘Demain tout commence’ works fine as a light-hearted comedy. We take it for granted that the credibility leaves something to be desired and that some characters (particularly the British ones) are portrayed very caricatured. The real stumbling block is the end, where several heavy themes are pushed through in an artificial way and at high speed. If the intention was to give the film more depth, then it doesn’t come through at all. The fact that the film still stands is largely due to Sy, who knows how to captivate the audience with his natural charisma and flair. The chemistry with the young Gloria Colston is particularly convincing and splashes off the screen. Clémence Poésy looks a lot less good, but that has everything to do with her role. What mother just gives her child away? There must be text and explanation, there must be a reason for it. But we don’t get more than an intimidated ‘I can’t handle it’. As a result, you as a viewer can hardly have sympathy for her. That takes the sting out of the custody battle right away. Antoine Bertrand is a very stereotypical gay sidekick: with anything that is even slightly masculine, they flirt violently. It will come as no surprise that he has a heart of gold.

The atmosphere in ‘Demain tout commence’ is good and Omar Sy is a fine protagonist. The film was undoubtedly made with the best of intentions and to a certain extent it works, despite the many incredulities and clichés. If Gélin had kept it so light, nothing would have happened. The fact that he chose to apply a forced deeper layer towards the end, without giving it time to come to fruition, unfortunately detracts from the film as a whole.