This Life Of Mine (Ma Vie Ma Geuele)
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Dir. by Sophie Fillières | France | 99 Mins
Winner of the 2024 Cannes Film Festival SACD Best Screenplay award and opening night film of the Director’s Fortnight section, Sophie Fillières' THIS LIFE OF MINE is a sharply funny and deeply resonant take on midlife crises. With her signature wit and humour, Fillières delivers a tender portrait of a woman navigating the chaos of family, work, and the absurdities of aging.
Barberie "Barbie" Bichette (Agnès Jaoui, Place Publique, AF FFF19) is a woman under siege: her kids cringe at her quirks, her soul-crushing copywriting job barely inspires her, and her body feels like it’s rebelling. Caught between hot flushes and existential dread, Barbie stumbles through the comedy of life at 55.
On the brink of her birthday, Barbie faces a choice: conform to society’s dismissive view of aging women or break free. What follows is a journey of rediscovery as she escapes to the Scottish Highlands to reclaim her spirit and sense of self. Equal parts poignant and funny, THIS LIFE OF MINE reminds us that midlife isn’t the end of the story—it’s just the beginning of a new chapter.
QUOTES
Agnès Jaoui's performance as Barbie is one of the greatest, most inspired and imaginative performances I've seen onscreen in a while. A Terminal Masterwork: NEWYORKER.COM
The final film by filmmaker Sophie Fillières..THIS LIFE OF MINE opened the [2025 Cannes Film Festival] Quinzaine des Cinémathèques. An irresistibly funny and heartbreaking existential comedy. TROIS COULEURS
As a final statement, “This Life of Mine” is a charming piece, with Fillières advocating for a deeper understanding of illness, loneliness, and the necessity of creative expression. NEXT BEST PICTURE
Brutally honest and occasionally hilarious. HOLLYWOOD REPORTER
Ultimately “This Life of Mine” is a pleasant if not momentous farewell, calling upon cinema as a treasured way to celebrate the ups and downs, the emotions and absurdity of real life. SCREEN INTERNATIONAL
An irresistibly funny and heartbreaking comedy. Agnès Jaoui, sublime and disturbingly similar. The most beautiful films are perhaps the most imperfect ones, those that stumble, learning to live a little better when everything slips away. TROIS COULEURS
A perfectly faithful mirror of the playful, existentialist soul so often explored by a filmmaker who was not afraid of the burlesque and the sometimes absurd emotions of life. CINEUROPA
A highly personal and darkly amusing chronicle. HOLLYWOOD REPORTER
Calling upon cinema as a treasured way to celebrate the ups and downs, the emotions and absurdity of real life.SCREENDAILY
