Movie Review: ‘OUR DAY WILL COME’

Rémy is a redheaded high school kid who is bullied, both at school and at home.  Life is reclusive for him, and he’s bottled up rage, and his sexuality, so much that he’s become severely depressed.  Then along comes Patrick, a therapist on the brink of implosion, who is everything Rémy is not.  Patrick, also with a red tint up top, was once like Rémy and has understood that to grab life by the balls is the only way to go through it; life needs conflict.  So Patrick brings him under his wing, which is anything but the best idea.  He pushes Rémy into a fight with Arabs at a cafe, then helps him score some chicks to meet later, and then he grabs them a hot car to get around in.  Things are changing for both men as Rémy comes out of his shell and Patrick starts to unravel.  Rémy wants to go to Ireland once he sees a picture of the red haired locals, and with Patrick in tow they begin a journey…to self destruction.  Anarchy!

The story begins rather familiar with a coming of age, mentor/student archetype, but quickly turns into so much more.  At times I was unsure whether this was intentionally funny in a very dark way, or if this was cleverly conceived and designed as an uncomfortable, surreal experience.  Turns out it’s probably both.  Director Romain Gavras, he of M.I.A’s disturbing Born Free short film and son of Costa-Gavras, has created what he describes as “a modern, gay romantic comedy.”  If repression is the name of the game here, mission accomplished.  The repression of sexuality, anger, and frustration is abundant.  BUT if the film is thought of as an absurdest vision of a romantic comedy, then it’s even more confusing.  It’s confusing in a fun way, though, and watching it with the mindset of comedy gives it a new light.  I found myself laughing rather often at the strangest things, and I think it works in that respect.  The film is also absolutely beautiful to look at, and Gavras directs it with a confidence and a grip on packing the screen with emotion and beauty even when what’s happening is quite ugly.

By the end of the film, both men are completely severed from reality and are in a mindset of general chaos and delusion.  The final moments of the film are so bizarre that you could find yourself extremely puzzled, but that’s entirely the point.  The film is one giant puzzle with the solution just out of reach, never to be found.  Both performances are strong, especially Vincent Cassel as Patrick, who is a more subdued, nihilistic version of his character Vinz from Mathieu Kassovitz’s La Haine.    While Our Day Will Come is nowhere near a classic on La Haine‘s level, it is an intriguing experience for those in the correct open mind to view it.  While it was released in 2010 in other territories, the film is finally making it’s way to the states soon through Oscilloscope.

‘OUR DAY WILL COME‘ is available on digital outlets (iTunes, Amazon On Demand) in the US today.