120. My Golden Days (Trois souvenirs de ma jeunesse); movie review

MY GOLDEN DAYS (TROIS SOUVENIRS DE MA JEUNESSE)
Cert 15
124 mins
BBFC advice: Contains strong sex, nudity, language

"Come and join me for this movie, I reckon it is going to be a good one," I cajoled Mrs W after I saw the names Mathieu Amalric and André Dussollier on the cast list for My Golden Days.
Its opening in which Amalric's character, Paul, is interviewed by Dussollier's, after returning to France after ten years away in Russia and other former Soviet states, points towards a potential spy thriller.
However, Dussollier is only only screen for about two minutes and Amalric is scarcely seen for more than ten.
Meanwhile, the spy element is parked and Arnaud Desplechin's film becomes a story of frustrated young love.
Paul's interrogation prompts him to reflect on his youth when he and his friends spent way too much time attempting to look and be cool.
Thus, we see young Paul (Quentin Dolmaire) trying to punch above his way above his weight with the beautiful Esther (Lou Roy-Lecollinet).
My Golden Days has an alluring 80s backdrop with a soundtrack which includes the likes of The Beat and The Jam, two of my favourite bands.
But its problem is that its main character is an annoying, self-centred dreamer who struggles with any type of relationship, be it with his widowed father, siblings, close friends or girls.
Much of My Golden Days centres on Paul and Esther rather than how he ended up being interviewed as a spy suspect.
Her disappointment in its unexpected direction threw Mrs W so badly that she lost interest and dropped off to sleep.
I stuck with it and appreciated plus points such as the performance of Roy-Lecollinet, an enchantress who becomes beset my mental health problems.
Indeed, the film's characters abound with afflictions ranging from drink to bereavement and from loneliness to self-esteem issues.
It has French vintage style which is a plus but its main subject matter is not nearly as engaging as I thought it would be.... and the two stars who I really wanted to watch were in it for a fraction of its running time.

Reasons to watch: Spins the audience back to the 80s
Reasons to avoid: The main character is really pretty irritating

Laughs: None
Jumps: None
Vomit: Yes
Nudity: Yes
Overall rating: 6.5/10

Director quote - Arnaud Desplechin: "I think I needed to the ability to look back on my past to make a first film. And to me, this seems like a first film."

The big question: how much does one's youth influence one's adulthood?

Share this post