A cheeky and funny romantic comedy directed by Ivan Calbérac. Release by Potential Films.
Following a standout reception at the 2025 Alliance Française French Film Festival, Riviera Revenge is in Australian Cinemas now. Just ahead of Bastille Day on Monday 14 July 2025. A great way to immerse yourself in French culture, language, and sense of humour.
François Marsult (played by André Dussollier) and his wife Annie Marsault (played by Sabine Azéma) navigate a shake up to retired married life in a hilarious and heartfelt comedy about love, emotional reactions, and the past.
Opening scenes scored with beautiful piano paint the picture of a lovely homey French household, iconographs indicative of values and hobbies, and memories of a long time together in a family home. Demonstrating evidence of history and connection and quirkiness and love.
It is Annie’s birthday and it is time to blow out the candles. François hands out scores to the family to sing together, an adaptation of Marcelaise, the French National Anthem, to celebrate a birthday. This is a peek inside the relationship of the retired couple, at home with children having left the nest.
A montage of family activities shows the joyful connection of shared activities, including listening to the piano and puppet shows and who may enjoy these more than others, showing clear and varied family values.
This celebration also provides time to connect and update each other on recent events.
At this celebration, family announcements are met with surprise and glee. By most…
This news prompts François, a retired general, to clean out the attic of the family home.
It is in cleaning out the attic that François comes across a surprising revelation from the past involving his dear wife Annie. Unraveling a red ribbon, some things may have been kept hidden for a reason.
While initially denied, sufficient evidence evokes a tension between a reminder of what is in the past is in the past, and a lie by omission is still a lie.
A reconnection with young adulthood friend Boris Pellerary (played by Thierry Lhermitte) ends up adding fuel to a very old fire.
While a serious topic, the film provides a very humorous and respectful take on human emotional (over)reaction to moralistic behaviours and their impact over time. It playfully teases the victim from the guilty and shows how the roles can quickly be reversed. Action and consequence are to-and-fro’d as what a person may do in a moment of vulnerability or in a neglected state is balanced against impact to others, a reminder of the intricacies of long standing relationships.
It sounds heavy but Riviera Revenge is a hilarious and passionate dramatisation of family life. It is cheekily humorous without dismissing the emotional reactions to realising something we didn’t know about our loved ones.
A reminder that at any age, anything is possible.
The film is very clever and small details, such as the novel read in bed – Madame Bovary, and the narrative of a play within the film, provide thoughtful nuisances and layered amusing wit.
Riviera Revenge phenomenally articulates the stories of dual protagonists, balancing a native and affinity for emotional outrange with morality and decisions.
It is equally quirky and neurotic, equally silly and serious.
The peak of absurdity resolves to moving movements of compassion, self reflection and self realisation.These heartfelt moments are tear jerking, complementing bouts of laughter brought on by the rest of the film. It is a modern take on French farce, without the slapstick.
There are no coincidences, only synchronicities. And what may have been a shocking revelation resulted in reaffirming what is important.
A surprising ending makes this jovial romantic comedy a must see, no matter your family values.
Riviera Revenge is now showing at Palace Nova Prospect Cinemas
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