My Golden Days (French: Trois souvenirs de ma jeunesse), also titled My Golden Years, is a 2015 French drama film directed by Arnaud Desplechin. It stars Quentin Dolmaire, Lou Roy-Lecollinet, and Mathieu Amalric. It is a prequel to the 1996 film My Sex Life... or How I Got into an Argument.[3] It was screened as part of the Directors' Fortnight section of the 2015 Cannes Film Festival,[4] where it won the SACD Prize.[5][6]
| My Golden Days | |
|---|---|
Theatrical release poster | |
| French | Trois souvenirs de ma jeunesse |
| Directed by | Arnaud Desplechin |
| Written by | Arnaud Desplechin Julie Peyr |
| Produced by | Oury Milshtein Tatiana Bouchain |
| Starring | Quentin Dolmaire Lou Roy-Lecollinet Mathieu Amalric |
| Cinematography | Irina Lubtchansky |
| Edited by | Laurence Briaud |
| Music by | Grégoire Hetzel |
Production companies | Why Not Productions France 2 Cinéma |
| Distributed by | Le Pacte |
Release dates |
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Running time | 120 minutes |
| Country | France |
| Language | French |
| Budget | $3.9 million[1] |
| Box office | $1.6 million[2] |
Due to a passport problem, an anthropologist Paul is stopped and interrogated at the airport in Paris. He recalls the memories of his youth.
Told in three segments: (1: “Childhood”) Paul argues with his mother and goes and stays with an aunt. His mother dies and his angry father attacks him. (2: “Russia”) Paul is questioned about a passport irregularity. He explains that he went on a school trip to Russia. His Jewish friend agreed to act as a courier, handing over money and books. Paul gave up his passport (3: “Esther”) Paul falls in love with his sister’s friend Esther, beautiful, promiscuous, and unhappy. They meet at parties and begin a long-term relationship, though each has other lovers. Paul studies in Paris but returns home when he can. His tutor dies and he works on a research project in Tajikistan. (“Epilogue”) Paul bumps into Jean-Paul and his wife. Paul says Jean-Paul betrayed him while he was away.
The film had is world premiere in the Directors' Fortnight section at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival on 15 May 2015.[7] It was released in France on 20 May 2015.[8]
On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 88% based on 69 reviews, with an average rating of 7.5/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "My Golden Years is a complex, well-acted coming-of-age drama."[9] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 87 out of 100, based on 24 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[10]
| Award | Year of ceremony | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cabourg Film Festival | 2015 | Best Director | Arnaud Desplechin | Won | [11] |
| Cannes Film Festival | 2015 | SACD Prize | My Golden Days | Won | [5] |
| César Award | 2016 | Best Film | My Golden Days | Nominated | [12] |
| Best Director | Arnaud Desplechin | Won | |||
| Most Promising Actor | Quentin Dolmaire | Nominated | |||
| Most Promising Actress | Lou Roy-Lecollinet | Nominated | |||
| Best Original Screenplay | Arnaud Desplechin and Julie Peyr | Nominated | |||
| Best Cinematography | Irina Lubtchansky | Nominated | |||
| Best Editing | Laurence Briaud | Nominated | |||
| Best Original Music | Grégoire Hetzel | Nominated | |||
| Best Sound | Nicolas Cantin, Sylvain Malbrant, and Stéphane Thiébaut | Nominated | |||
| Best Costume Design | Nathalie Raoul | Nominated | |||
| Best Production Design | Toma Baquéni | Nominated | |||
| Chicago International Film Festival | 2015 | Best Art Direction | Toma Baqueni | Won | [13] |
| Louis Delluc Prize | 2015 | Best Film | My Golden Days | Nominated | [14] |
| Lumières Award | 2016 | Best Film | My Golden Days | Nominated | [15] |
| Best Director | Arnaud Desplechin | Won | |||
| Most Promising Actor | Quentin Dolmaire | Nominated | |||
| Most Promising Actress | Lou Roy-Lecollinet | Nominated | |||
| Best Screenplay | Arnaud Desplechin and Julie Peyr | Nominated | |||
| Best Cinematography | Irina Lubtchansky | Nominated | |||
| Best Music | Grégoire Hetzel | Won | |||
| Prix Jacques Prévert du Scénario | 2016 | Best Original Screenplay | Arnaud Desplechin and Julie Peyr | Won | [16] |
Films directed by Arnaud Desplechin | |
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