TWO IS A FAMILY / Demain tout commence
North American Premiere • Comedy, Romance • France, 2016
DCP • 2.40 • Dolby 5.1 • Color • 115 min
Directed by: Hugo Gélin
Written by: Hugo Gélin, Mathieu Oullion, Jean-André Yerles
Cinematography: Nicolas Massart
Film Editing: Grégoire Sivan, Valentin Féron
Original Score: Rob Simonsen
Produced by: Philippe Rousselet (Vendôme Production), Stéphane Célérier (Mars Films), TF1 Films Productions
Cast: Omar Sy, Clémence Poésy, Gloria Colston
International Sales: SND Groupe M6
After mastering period pratfalls as a Belle Époch clown in last year’s Chocolat (opening film COLCOA 2016), Omar Sy tackles the ups and downs of modern fatherhood in this remake of the 2013 Mexican smash Instructions Not Included. Sy plays Sam, a party animal prowling the beaches of the French Riviera in constant search of hedonistic gratification. Sam’s only real commitment is to bachelorhood, but the anchor drops on his free floating days in the form of Gloria, an eight-month-old bundle of responsibilities dumped in his lap by former lover Kristen. Overwhelmed by the prospect of parenting, Sam’s first instinct is to follow Gloria’s mother back to London, and to hand the child back to her. When Kristen, played by Clémence Poésy (Fleur Delacoure from the Harry Potter movies), proves hard to track down, Sam is forced to find a way to prolong his stay. A chance encounter brings him the opportunity he needs, and as time goes by Sam finds himself happily settling into a new life and his new role as a papa. But just as his future is looking sweet, the past returns, with aims to take it all away.
For his second feature, writer/director Hugo Gélin balances exuberant comedy with a touching human dimension. These same sensibilities were evident in his feature debut, Like Brothers (closing film COLCOA 2013), an amiable road movie that stuffed three men into one car with nothing in common but their love for the same woman. The film went on to be nominated for a Best First Film César Award. With actor relatives like Maria Schneider, and Manual and Fiona Gélin, it’s not surprising that Gélin began as a child actor before deciding that he felt more at home on the other side of the camera. Gélin adapted the French screenplay from the original Spanish version with collaborators Mathieu Oullion and the prolific television comedy writer Jean-André Yerles.
