Movie

C'est La Vie

1990 · 110 min

A sunlit summer holiday that slowly reveals the fractures in a family, seen through a watchful girl's eyes with tenderness and quiet heartbreak.

Directed by: Diane Kurys
Genres: Comedy, Drama
Starring: Nathalie Baye, Jean-Pierre Bacri, Zabou Breitman

Overview: A story is about young teenage girl, with sister and brothers, a pleasant uncle and aunt, an annoying nanny, a young boy interested in kissing her, a close relationship with the imaginary addressee of her daily diary and her parents' disintegrating marriage - all this in a rented house in a summer resort.

Your rating is saved. See your suggestions, or find titles like this one below.

Rate it, and Mesmero finds titles that feel like it. You do not need an account.

Search YouTube for a trailer

Add to a list: C'est La Vie

In the UKNo streaming, rental or purchase options known.

Directed by: Diane Kurys
Genres: Comedy, Drama
Starring: Nathalie Baye, Jean-Pierre Bacri, Zabou Breitman

In your watch list

How it feels

Written by AI. It can be wrong.

Tone: melancholicstrength 2 of 3
warmstrength 2 of 3
tensestrength 1 of 3
earneststrength 2 of 3
Pacing: measured, 2 of 4, from slow-burn to relentless
Attention: engaged, 3 of 4, from background-friendly to demanding
Themes: family
coming-of-age
betrayal
grief
identity
Places: small town
home
Era: period
Audience: teen
Form: nonlinear
Content intensity: Gore none
Language mild
Violence mild
Sex mild

All scales, 0 to 10

Scales, 0 to 10
Scale	Value	0 to 10
Action	1
Horror	0
Humour	3
Realism	8
Romance	3
Tension	4
Darkness	4
Complexity	5
Emotional weight	7

Titles like C'est La Vie

Movie

The 400 Blows

1959

A poignant, naturalistic portrait of misunderstood youth, blending tender moments with quiet despair and a lingering sense of yearning.

Melancholic, earnest · about family and coming-of-age · nonlinear

Via: melancholic
earnest
family
coming-of-age
nonlinear
Pacing: measured
Attention: engaged
Runtime: 99 min

Details

The 400 BlowsHidden from your suggestions.

Movie

The First Beautiful Thing

2010

A bittersweet, sun-dappled memory piece that drifts between laughter and regret, leaving a lingering ache of family love.

Melancholic, warm · about family and grief · nonlinear

Via: melancholic
warm
family
grief
nonlinear
Pacing: measured
Attention: engaged
Runtime: 122 min

Details

The First Beautiful ThingHidden from your suggestions.

Movie

Invisible Life

2019

A lush, aching melodrama that sweeps you through decades of longing, its vivid colour and music pressing hard against a quiet, accumulating heartbreak.

Melancholic, earnest · about family and betrayal

Via: melancholic
earnest
family
betrayal
Pacing: measured
Attention: engaged
Runtime: 140 min

Details

Invisible LifeHidden from your suggestions.

Movie

A Christmas Tale

2008

A talky, emotionally intricate family reunion that mixes warmth and resentment, demanding attention as it unfolds its messy, bittersweet dynamics.

Melancholic, warm · about family and betrayal · nonlinear

Via: melancholic
warm
family
betrayal
nonlinear
Pacing: measured
Attention: engaged
Runtime: 152 min

Details

A Christmas TaleHidden from your suggestions.

Movie

The Adolescent

1979

A slow, sunlit coming-of-age drama that simmers with unspoken desire and the quiet ache of a world about to change.

Same composer: Philippe Sarde · Melancholic, warm · about family and coming-of-age

Also: Same composer: Philippe Sarde
Via: melancholic
warm
family
coming-of-age
Pacing: slow-burn
Attention: engaged
Runtime: 90 min

Details

The AdolescentHidden from your suggestions.

Movie

Wildlife

2018

Quietly devastating and watchful, like seeing your parents unravel through a child's helpless eyes, with a slow ache that lingers.

Melancholic, earnest · about family and coming-of-age

Via: melancholic
earnest
family
coming-of-age
Pacing: slow-burn
Attention: engaged
Runtime: 105 min

Details

WildlifeHidden from your suggestions.

Movie

The Hand of God

2021

A sun-drenched, bittersweet memory piece that drifts between boisterous family comedy and sudden, aching loss.

Melancholic, warm · about family and coming-of-age · nonlinear

Via: melancholic
warm
family
coming-of-age
nonlinear
Pacing: measured
Attention: engaged
Runtime: 130 min

Details

The Hand of GodHidden from your suggestions.

Movie

For a Woman

2013

A quiet, emotionally layered family drama that unfolds like a memoir, blending past and present with a bittersweet, romantic melancholy.

Same director: Diane Kurys · Melancholic, earnest · about family and betrayal · nonlinear

Also: Same director: Diane Kurys
Via: melancholic
earnest
family
betrayal
nonlinear
Pacing: measured
Attention: engaged
Runtime: 110 min

Details

For a WomanHidden from your suggestions.

Movie

My Father's Glory

1990

A gentle, sunlit reminiscence of boyhood summers, filled with small adventures and tender family moments that leave a warm, nostalgic glow.

Warm, earnest · about family and coming-of-age

Via: warm
earnest
family
coming-of-age
Pacing: measured
Attention: engaged
Runtime: 105 min

Details

My Father's GloryHidden from your suggestions.

Movie

Kramer vs. Kramer

1979

A quietly devastating and intimate portrait of a family falling apart, anchored by raw performances and a courtroom climax that feels painfully real.

Melancholic, earnest · about family and grief

Via: melancholic
earnest
family
grief
Pacing: measured
Attention: engaged
Runtime: 105 min

Details

Kramer vs. KramerHidden from your suggestions.

Movie

The Man in the Moon

1991

A sun-drenched, tender summer memory that slowly tightens into heartbreak, leaving a quiet ache long after it ends.

Melancholic, warm · about family and coming-of-age

Via: melancholic
warm
family
coming-of-age
Pacing: slow-burn
Attention: engaged
Runtime: 99 min

Details

The Man in the MoonHidden from your suggestions.

Movie

Beau Pere

1981

A quietly unsettling and emotionally raw watch, blending uncomfortable desire with grief and moments of wry humour.

Same composer: Philippe Sarde · Melancholic · about family and coming-of-age · nonlinear

Also: Same composer: Philippe Sarde
Via: melancholic
family
coming-of-age
nonlinear
Pacing: measured
Attention: engaged
Runtime: 123 min

Details

Beau PereHidden from your suggestions.

Where to watch in the UK

No UK streaming, rental or purchase options are known.

Streaming data from JustWatch.TMDB

Details

Genres: comedy, drama
Directed by: Diane Kurys
Written by: Diane Kurys, Alain Le Henry
Starring: Nathalie Baye, Jean-Pierre Bacri, Zabou Breitman, Richard Berry, Vincent Lindon, Valeria Bruni Tedeschi, Julie Bataille, Didier Bénureau
Music: Philippe Sarde
Cinematography: Fabio Conversi, Giuseppe Lanci
Runtime: 110 min
Country: France
Languages: French

TMDB IMDb Letterboxd Wikipedia Wikidata

Something wrong on this page? Tell us.

C'est La Vie

How it feels

More like this

Titles like C'est La Vie

Where to watch in the UK

Details