Juste une illusion hits theaters on April 15, 2026. This dramedy written and directed by Éric Toledano and Olivier Nakache brings together Louis Garrel, Camille Cottin, Pierre Lottin and rising star Simon Boublil in a coming-of-age tale set in 1985 on the outskirts of Paris. The filmmaking duo describe this feature as the most intimate work of their career, shot between April and July 2025 in Paris, Élancourt, and the Bry-sur-Marne studios.
Juste une illusion
Film | 2026
Release in theaters: April 15, 2026
Dramedy | Running time: 1h56
From Éric Toledano, Olivier Nakache | Starring Louis Garrel, Camille Cottin, Pierre Lottin, Simon Boublil, Alexis Rosenstiehl, Jeanne Lamartine
Original title: Juste une illusion
Nationality: France
In 1985, Vincent, about to turn 13, grows up in a Parisian suburb within a middle-class family, swinging between a distant older brother and parents in constant conflict. The film traces this in-between space, where questions about identity, family, friendship, religion, and first loves start to redefine how he sees the world.
The choice of 1985 is no accident: Éric Toledano was thirteen in 1984, Olivier Nakache in 1986. They place the story of young Vincent squarely between their two teenage years. As with Nos jours heureux (2006), the two filmmakers started from personal memories before gradually building the screenplay, in collaboration with a researcher who helped them reclaim the sociology of the era — TV news broadcasts, variety shows, magazines — without trying to cram everything into the film.
The parents' characters, played by Camille Cottin and Louis Garrel, draw on the families of the two directors as well as on Italian cinema: Cottin points to actresses like Monica Vitti and Stefania Sandrelli for inspiration, while Garrel evokes Vittorio Gassman or Marcello Mastroianni. The two actors had already shared the screen in Mon Légionnaire by Rachel Lang (2021).
The role of Vincent is played by Simon Boublil, the son of Elsa Boublil and actor Philippe Torreton, in what marks his feature-film debut. Toledano and Nakache screened nearly 2 000 young men across casting and audition tapes before they finalised on him. He is surrounded by Alexis Rosenstiehl and Jeanne Lamartine, as well as Pierre Lottin in the part of the big brother.
Off set, the two directors make a brief cameo as extras in the film—a scene added to an existing feature that young Vincent and his friends are watching. The movie is dedicated to their respective fathers, Raphaël Toledano and Marc Nakache, both of whom passed away during production.
In a related vein, one might think of Le Péril jeune for its retrospective gaze on a generation in the throes of defining itself, or Nos jours heureux, another film by Toledano and Nakache, for the way it captures human connections at a pivotal moment.
To extend the cinema experience, check out the April movie releases, the films to watch right now, and our selection of French comedy-dramas of the year.
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