Oriignal Title: Victoria
Making good on the promise of her hilarious and unsettling debut Age of Panic, writer-director Justine Triet rose to the top of the French box office and wowed critics with In Bed with Victoria, a devastatingly funny romantic comedy that manages to capture the tensions and uncertainties of our era while charming the viewer. Much of the film’s allure can be attributed to Virginie Efira’s star-making turn as title character Victoria, a thirty-something lawyer juggling a successful career, two young children, a busy online dating life, and a crazy ex-husband regularly posting internet updates of his tell-all memoir about their marriage.
As if life weren’t complicated enough, the overextended young woman reluctantly agrees to represent her close friend Vincent in a messy assault case and gets temporarily disbarred. Left with nothing but time on her hands, Victoria finds herself on the verge of a breakdown. By combining achingly familiar everyday problems with delightfully wacky premises like a dog serving as a witness in a criminal trial, Justine Triet has crafted a subtly feminist, constantly surprising gem that rivals the best comedies of Hollywood’s golden age.
SPONSORS:
This film is part of Young French Cinema, which is a program of UniFrance & the Cultural Services of the French Embassy.
LUMIÈRES FRANÇAISES
Lumières Françaises highlights an exciting new generation of rising francophone talent on both sides of the camera, from rebellious comedies to exquisite dramas and vivid documentaries.