Amélie Bonnin's first feature film, Partir un jour, is an adaptation of the eponymous short film that won the César Award for Best Short Film in 2023. This musical comedy-drama starring Juliette Armanet, Bastien Bouillon, and François Rollin was released in theaters on May 13, 2025, and was presented out of competition as the opening film of the 2025 Cannes Film Festival. The film is now scheduled to air on Canal+ on Tuesday, December 16, 2025, at 9:10 p.m.
In Paris, Cécile, a talented cook, is about to realize her dream of opening her own gourmet restaurant. Everything finally seems to be falling into place when a phone call upsets her plans: her father has just had a heart attack. Forced to return to the village of her childhood, she finds herself back in an environment she thought she had left behind. Between the family emergency and the launch of her project, Cécile must deal with a return to her roots that is more complicated than she imagined.
There, she runs into her teenage love. Memories come flooding back, old places fill with familiar sensations, and the choices she thought were final begin to waver. The film follows this pivotal moment where personal ambition, family loyalty, and nostalgia for a possible life left unlived collide. The narrative focuses on how this reunion awakens an intimate past and questions the path she has taken, to the point where Cécile begins to doubt the life she has built for herself in Paris.
Partir un jour is based on the short film of the same name, already carried by Juliette Armanet and Bastien Bouillon. For the feature-length format, Amélie Bonnin chose to feminize the point of view by placing Cécile at the center of the story, whereas the short film followed a male character. The film is produced by Topshot Films, in association with Les Films du Worso, and extends the universe of the short film without copying its structure, further developing the return to the country, the family, and the setting of the truck stop. The latter, renamed "L'Escale," is a real truck stop in the Grand Est region, which was taken over for several weeks of filming to anchor the film in a very concrete setting.
Music plays a prominent role, without making the film a musical in the traditional sense. Amélie Bonnin conceives the whole thing as a musical film in which songs are woven into everyday life, like a common language between the characters. The songs, chosen from a popular repertoire, serve as triggers for memory and intergenerational sharing. The singing scenes were recorded live on set in order to preserve the fragility and emotion of the performances, in a very meticulous sound production. The choreography, by Thierry Thieû Niang, structures many scenes, even the most ordinary gestures, to give the film a fluid and discreet movement.
The work around the kitchen is also part of this search for authenticity. Juliette Armanet was coached by chef Tatiana Levha to credibly portray an aspiring chef, as the sequence shots in the kitchen leave no room for cheating. The staging seeks a balance between the precision of professional gestures, the realism of the restaurant environment, and the intimate dimension of the story. In the background, the film questions the possibility of reconciling personal life, creative ambitions, and loyalty to a place one has left behind.
Partir un jour is aimed at viewers who enjoy dramatic comedies focused on individual journeys, returning to one's roots, and young love. In the tradition of films such as La Famille Bélier and Le goût des merveilles, it combines regional roots, bittersweet emotions, and questions about life choices. Juliette Armanet confirms her true potential as a performer, while Bastien Bouillon and François Rollin complete a cast that favors nuance over exaggerated effects. The tone remains lighthearted, despite the main character's inner turmoil.
Partir un jour
Film | 2025
Theatrical release: May 13, 2025
On Canal+ on December 16, 2025, at 9:10 p.m.
Comedy drama | Running time: 1 hour 38 minutes
By Amélie Bonnin | Starring Juliette Armanet, Bastien Bouillon, François Rollin
Nationality: France
Combining a story of returning home, a musical film about everyday life, and a portrait of a woman at a major crossroads in her life, Partir un jour is an intimate comedy-drama in which music, cuisine, and the landscapes of eastern France accompany Cécile's hesitations. Its broadcast on Canal+ allows viewers to rediscover, after its run at Cannes and in theaters, a debut feature film that questions how our memories, attachments, and aspirations shape a possible life.
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