Good Life, The (ATOM Study Guide)

The Good Life (La Belle Vie, 2013) is a French feature film directed by Jean Denizot. The film is based on the story of Xavier Fortin, whose custody battle with the mother of his two young sons led him to kidnap the boys and raise them well into their teenage years.

Eighteen-year-old Pierre (Jules Pelissier) and sixteen-year-old Sylvain (Zacharie Chasseriaud) have spent the past eleven years living a nomadic existence with their father, Yves (Nicholas Bouchaud) in secluded places throughout rural France. On the run from the law ever since a bitter custody battle, the boys' relationship with their father, though loving, has become increasingly tense.

Yves insists they maintain their modest life. Sylvain doesn't question his father's philosophy but Pierre is tired of hiding. When missing-person posters surface, clearly not for the first time, Yves declares that it is time for them to decamp and search for somewhere else to hide. Pierre disagrees. He wants a normal existence. His rebellious behaviour puts them all at risk. A fight between Pierre and another man in the local village prompts change. Pierre leaves to make his own way in the world, and Yves and Sylvain go into hiding.

Yves and Sylvain shelter at the home of Eliana (Maya Sansa), a friend of Yves. Eliana believes that it is time for Yves to turn himself in but both Yves and Sylvain disagree. Why should Yves be imprisoned for two years? Sylvain defends his father, reminding Eliana that the boys chose their father and not their mother all those years ago. A news report prompts a decision. Eliana gives Yves and Sylvain a car and they hit the road again.

When the car breaks down, Yves walks to a local garage, leaving Sylvain to look after the car and keep any helpful passersby at bay. Luckily, when the police do stop to investigate, both Yves and Sylvain elude capture. They take to the river on a small wooden boat, but father and son are at odds. Yves drowned Sylvain's dog so that her barking and whimpering did not give their hiding spot away. Father and son steer the boat through the night and into the day until they find refuge on an island in the Loire River.

While Yves claims they are on 'vacation', without Pierre for company Sylvain is lonely. A chance encounter with Gilda (Solène Rigot), a pretty girl his age, makes him happy. The teenagers enjoy each other's company, but Yves is alarmed when he learns of the relationship. He insists that they must leave and sends Sylvain into town to call Eliana to make the necessary arrangements. Sylvain does as his father requests but he also visits Gilda. He wants to tell her the truth. A phone call to Pierre, who accuses Sylvain of being his father's hostage, leaves Sylvain all the more confused.

Sylvain is unable to betray his father. He loves Gilda and is lost without Pierre, but his father loves and needs him. They begin again. The work on the horse farm is hard and their employer exploits their situation. Sylvain has had enough. He packs his bag and says goodbye to his father. It is time for Sylvain to make his own way in the world. In Orléans he is reunited with Pierre. The brothers are happy in each other's company but for Sylvain a 'good life' means more than just a job, a pay packet and a roof over his head. Sylvain makes his way through the streets of Orléans and on a park bench in a children's playground he meets his mother (Christèle Tual).

Curriculum Links

The Good Life is suitable for secondary students in Years 9–10 undertaking subjects within the learning areas of English, Languages (French) and The Arts (Media Arts), and is relevant to the General Capabilities of Intercultural Understanding, and Personal and Social Capability.