Content Warning for Mental Health & Depiction of Psychiatric Clinic
The lead character in Sophie Fillières new film, This Life of Mine, Barberie “Barbie” Bichette, embodies a story often reduced to a subplot: a middle-aged mother struggles with growing older whilst her difficulties are played off for laughs. The film instead shines a spotlight on this often overlooked experience through a compelling exploration of finding contentment in middle-age. The French production is currently on the festival circuit, playing in Melbourne at the Alliance Francaise French Film Festival from March to April 2025. Writer-director Sophie Fillières speaks to the heart through a nuanced take on the mid-life crisis, particularly as a woman, without losing the funny or serious moments of it all. Despite this intriguing story, the film struggles to adequately depict itself. Underwhelming cinematography and an underutilised score left me disappointed and craving a lot more thought into elements of the film further than just the written narrative.
Fillières’ writing is a standout, drawing you in and really making you resonate with Barberie’s emotional arc. The film follows the classical arthouse narrative, centring on an aimless Barberie (Agnès Jaoui) as she attempts to just be… content. She navigates complicated relationships with her adult children and the constricting nature of corporate life amongst ever-present reminders that she’s growing older. Barberie doesn’t seem to know at all what she’s doing. Yet, it’s precisely this uncertainty that makes her incredibly compelling. Fillières masterfully defies conventional depictions of mothers as reliable, all-knowing forces, shifting focus instead to the fact that everybody questions how they should be living their lives—perhaps even most deeply in the wake of a mid-life crisis. The writer-director’s experience in comedy films is evident throughout, striking a rich balance of comedic moments amongst despondent ones.
Even with Fillières excellent writing, the film would be nothing without Agnès Jaoui’s nuanced performance. Barberie is a character you can’t help but feel is tangible. A real woman you’ve met on the street. Her emotional range and masterful depiction of interior struggles form the backbone of the story. She is endearing from the start, and manages to maintain your emotional investment throughout. The supporting cast additionally adds excellent emotional depth, with Barberie’s children Rose (Angelina Woreth) and Junior (Édouard Sulpice) contextualising much of their mother’s emotional journey whilst also creating intriguing subplots within the larger piece.
The glaring downfall of This Life of Mine is its failure to balance the artistry of slow cinema and maintain engagement. It hyperfocuses on physically capturing characters and fails to adequately explore the world and spaces around them; shot composition is limited, with flat lighting failing to create any visual interest. Even the colours and textures of the film were mundane—though monotony has narrative significance for Barberie, there was not enough contrast across the story to make the blandness pay off symbolically.
An absence of extradiegetic audio or soundtrack does not help the lackluster visuals. Though its experimentation with sound was admirable, the narrative was too slow for it to pay off. Opportunities for deepening on-screen emotions through a supporting and captivating score were missed. There was no movement in the soundtrack to contrast the stillness of the visuals, leaving me feel at times that nothing was happening at all. It is a real shame, as the very ending of the film uses cinematography and sound in a completely different way. The shift helps emphasise the ultimate emotional arc, but more importantly demonstrates the potential the film had to be more intriguing throughout. We are invited to watch and hear Barberie, but that alone for over an hour makes the film drag on. Audiovisual elements seem like a secondary consideration, and the lackluster overall result highlights the importance of more than just good writing in making a quality film.
Sophie Fillières’ piece brings to the forefront the universal struggle of wondering how best to live life. It’s ironic that a film centred around Barberie’s confusion over whether she’s making the right decisions ultimately made missteps in its own construction. Despite its flaws, This Life of Mine left me considering different perspectives and ideas I hadn’t considered before. It left me in the way art cinema should—pondering, reflecting, and wondering if I ought to call my mum.
This Life of Mine is screening at the 36th Alliance Francaise French Film Festival in Melbourne, 5th of March to the 9th of April 2025. (French language, English language, 1hr39min runtime)