French filmmaker Amélie Bonnin’s debut feature Leave One Day opens the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, offering a personal exploration of ordinary life through music. A modern jukebox musical, it centers on a rising chef, played by French pop star Juliette Armanet, who returns to her rural hometown to face a family crisis and an unexpected pregnancy just before opening her Paris restaurant.
Bonnin, known for her César-winning short Bye Bye, reshaped the story to reflect her own perspective: a 40-year-old woman grappling with work, motherhood, and desire. “I wanted to tell the story through my lens,” she said, noting how she initially picked a male lead out of habit.
The film’s soundtrack features iconic songs from Bonnin’s generation, performed live on set to capture raw, imperfect emotions. “Every emotion had to be real,” she explained, emphasizing spontaneity over perfection.
Bonnin’s approach, influenced by filmmakers like Michel Gondry, focuses on collaborative, real-time creation. Though it’s her first feature-length musical, she’s open to continuing this style, believing that music allows her to tell more emotionally powerful stories.
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