Cannes 2025: Amélie Bonnin's 'Partir Un Jour' Wants to Be Many Things At Once

For the first time in the 78 year history of Cannes, the opening night film is also a directorial debut. Partir un Jour (which translates to Leave One Day in French) has director Amélie Bonnin adapting her 2021 César Award-winning short film into a feature.

The story follows a lauded chef, Cécile, who is 10 days away from opening a restaurant in Paris. That’s difficult enough, but her challenges increase exponentially when, in the midst of trying to hone her signature dish, she’s called back to her village after her father suffers a heart attack. Once home, she must confront a boyfriend she left behind and familial resentments that simmer just beneath the surface.

Bonnin is a celebrated multidisciplinary artist whose projects combine film, drawing, writing, and graphics. Like the director, the film wants to be many things — a charming romance, a musical, and a family drama. This is a story about the inherent contradictions of relationships (Cécile's mother smokes but, even after 40 years of marriage, can’t bring herself to tell her husband), the ways in which women are torn between ambition, desire, family, fate, and that singular loneliness that sets in when you outgrow the place — and people — you grew up with. In one scene, Cécile's friend from school remarks that in the village, time stands still, but Cécile's life has galloped ahead. Bonnin creates moments of tenderness and affection, especially between Cécile and her mother.

A still from 'Partir Un Jour'

But the ingredients are too familiar, and unlike Cécile, Bonnin isn’t able to blend them into an inventive or delectable dish. The storyline is propelled by a love for cooking (though Bonnin hints that perhaps Cécile didn’t have a choice), but there is little by way of food porn — or any of the passion and sensuality that artistry in the kitchen inherently entails. For that, watch Trần Anh Hùng’s The Taste of Things, which stars the luminous Juliette Binoche, who is also the Cannes Festival competition jury president this year.

Perhaps the unkindest cut is that the songs have so little verve — which isn’t the fault of singer and actress Juliette Armanet, who commits to the role and appears in almost every frame of the film. It’s more the listless staging. As I watched, I started thinking that perhaps directors and choreographers from the subcontinent should hold masterclasses on the art of the song. With a little more spice, Partir un Jour could translate into a fun Indian film.