Beautiful Memories
Beautiful Memories (French: Se souvenir des belles choses) is a 2001 French film directed by Zabou Breitman. It won the César Awards for Best First Feature Film, Best Actress and Best Supporting Actor, and was nominated for Best Actor. Also, the French Syndicate of Cinema Critics named it best debut film.
| Beautiful Memories | |
|---|---|
 Film poster | |
| Se souvenir des belles choses | |
| Directed by | Zabou Breitman |
| Produced by | Stéphane Marsil |
| Screenplay by | Zabou Breitman Jean-Claude Deret |
| Starring | Isabelle Carré Bernard Campan Bernard Le Coq Zabou Breitman |
| Music by | Ferenc Javori |
| Cinematography | Dominique Chapuis |
| Edited by | Bernard Sasia |
Production company | Hugo Films France 3 Cinéma Les Films de la Colombe Les Productions de la Guéville |
| Distributed by | Wild Bunch Distribution |
Release date |
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Running time | 110 minutes |
| Country | France |
| Language | French |
| Budget | $4.2 million [1] |
| Box office | $3.9 million [2] |
Plot
Claire Poussin, a young woman in her early 30s whose mother has recently died from Alzheimer's, has been having memory loss problems since being struck by lightning. She believes she is showing the first signs of the disease, but her sister Nathalie thinks the problem is temporary. Claire seeks help by entering a clinic for people with memory-loss problems, which is located in a big country house and run by Prof. Christian Licht. Prof. Licht is having an affair with therapist Marie Bjorg, which he thinks is hidden from his patients, but isn't. At the clinic, Claire meets Philippe, a noted wine expert who is traumatized following a car accident which killed his wife and child, and they fall in love. When both of them are released, they move in together, but find that their condition severely affects their lives. Philippe recovers his memory, and is pained when he remembers the tragic accident, while Claire's condition becomes worse.
Cast
- Isabelle Carré as Claire Poussin
- Bernard Campan as Philippe
- Bernard Le Coq as Prof. Christian Licht
- Zabou Breitman as Marie Bjorg
- Anne Le Ny as Nathalie Poussin
- Dominique Pinon as Robert
- Aude Briant as Corinne
- Denys Granier-Deferre as Toto
- François Levantal as Daniel
- Jean-Claude Deret as Léo Finkel
- Céline Léger as Sarah
- Julien Courbey as Stéphane
- Guilaine Londez as Isabelle
Accolades
| Award / Film Festival | Category | Recipients and nominees | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| César Awards | Best Actress | Isabelle Carré | Won |
| Best Actor | Bernard Campan | Nominated | |
| Best Supporting Actor | Bernard Le Coq | Won | |
| Best First Feature Film | Won | ||
| Cabourg Film Festival | Male Revelation | Bernard Campan | Won |
| French Syndicate of Cinema Critics | Best First French Film | Won | |
| Lumières Awards | Best Actress | Isabelle Carré | Won |