''A Few Days with Me'' (original title: ''Quelques jours avec moi'') is a 1988 French film directed by

Claude Sautet Claude Sautet (23 February 1924 – 22 July 2000) was a French film director and screenwriter. He was a chronicler of post-war French society. He made a total of five films with his favorite actress Romy Schneider. Biography Born in Montroug ...

. It received three

César Award Cesar or César may refer to: Arts and entertainment * César (film), ''César'' (film), a 1936 French romantic drama * César (film), ''César'' (play), a play by Marcel Pagnolt Places * Cesar, Portugal * Cesar Department, Colombia * Cesar R ...

nominations at the 1989 César Awards.

Plot

Martial (

Daniel Auteuil Daniel Auteuil (; born 24 January 1950) is a French actor and director who has appeared in a wide range of film genres, including period dramas, romantic comedies, and crime thrillers. In 1996 he won the Best Actor Award at the Cannes Film Fest ...

) is discharged from a mental institution where he spent a few years due to a serious nervous breakdown. During his hospitalization, he ceases to speak with everyone, including his wife Régine ( Thérèse Liotard), whom he had encouraged to find a new partner soon after entering the clinic. Upon his return, he finds his mother (

Danielle Darrieux Danielle Yvonne Marie Antoinette Darrieux (; 1 May 1917 – 17 October 2017) was a French actress of stage, television and film, as well as a singer and dancer. Beginning in 1931, she appeared in more than 110 films. She was one of France's g ...

), a busy business woman who owns a supermarket chain. She is convinced that her son, who by now hardly talks to anyone after his experience, will be able to find himself again if tasked with some responsibilities. Soon enough, Martial is sent to

Limoges Limoges ( , , ; , locally ) is a city and Communes of France, commune, and the prefecture of the Haute-Vienne Departments of France, department in west-central France. It was the administrative capital of the former Limousin region. Situated o ...

on a business trip to check on one of their stores in the hope of reinvigorating its failing business. Once he arrives, Martial is faced with responsibilities he had never imagined, including dealing with the store's personnel. Due to his lack of people skills, this job is a difficult task. Meantime, as instructed by his mother, he checks on the accounting handled by the manager, Mr. Fonfrin (

Jean-Pierre Marielle Jean-Pierre Marielle (12 April 1932 – 24 April 2019) was a French actor. He appeared in more than a hundred films in which he played very diverse roles, from a banal citizen (''Les Galettes de Pont-Aven''), to a World War II hero (''Les Milles ...

), and he soon realizes that the reason for the branch's close-to-failure status is that Fonfrin is padding the books. Due to his inability to take charge for anything in life, Martial fails to perform his duties and instead befriends the crooked manager, who invites the naive heir to join him and his wife (

Dominique Lavanant Dominique Lavanant (born 24 May 1944) is a French film and theatrical actress. She is known for her comedy skills especially with posh and distinguished characters like Rosalind Russell's; characters often defined by the adjective ''BCBG'', ' ...

) for dinner one night. He immediately falls in love with Francine (

Sandrine Bonnaire Sandrine Bonnaire (; born 31 May 1967) is a French actress, film director and screenwriter who has appeared in more than 40 films. She won the César Award for Most Promising Actress for '' À Nos Amours'' (1983), the César Award for Best Actre ...

), the maid, an eccentric young woman with whom he has a brief relationship. Martial unconditionally showers Francine with many gifts, as this is the first time in several years that he feels close to someone; it is a short episode that makes his dejected life momentarily look brighter. He lets his work fall behind for her but, unfortunately, the romance does not last long and, upon his return to

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

, he is deemed incompetent and re-admitted to the hospital.

Cast

as Martial Pasquier *

as Francine *

as Madame Pasquier — Martial's mother *

as Mr. Fonfier *

as Mrs. Fonfier * Thérèse Liotard as Régine — Martial's wife *

Vincent Lindon Vincent Lindon (; born 15 July 1959) is a French actor and filmmaker. For his role in the film '' The Measure of a Man'' (2015), Lindon won Best Actor at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival, Best Actor at the 41st César Awards and the IFFI Best ...

as Fernand *

Jean-Pierre Castaldi Jean-Pierre Castaldi (born 1 October 1944) is a French actor. He is the father of French TV presenter and radio host Benjamin Castaldi. On stage Filmography Television 2000–2002 : Host of '' Fort Boyard'' References {{DEF ...

as Max * Gérard Ismaël as Rocky *

Tanya Lopert Tanya Lopert (born 19 June 1942 in New York City) is a French actress and the daughter of Ilya Lopert Ilya Lopert (May 1, 1905 – February 27, 1971) was an American film producer and distributor. He was renowned for distributing foreign films ...

as Madame Maillotte *

Philippe Laudenbach Philippe Laudenbach (31 January 1936 – 22 April 2024) was a French actor. He appeared in more than one hundred films from 1963. Career Philippe Laudenbach, the nephew of Pierre Fresnay (born Peter Laudenbach), was trained at the French Natio ...

as Monsieur Maillotte *

Dominique Blanc Dominique Blanc (born 25 April 1956) is a French actress. She is known for her roles in the films '' May Fools'' (1990), '' Indochine'' (1992), '' La Reine Margot'' (1994), '' Those Who Love Me Can Take the Train'' (1998), and '' The Other One ...

as Georgette *

Élisa Servier Élisa Servier (born 5 May 1955 in Villepinte, Seine-Saint-Denis, France) is a French actor. Life After a childhood spent in the countryside, near Paris, Elisa Servier debuted at the cinema in 1973, at the age of 18, in a comedy, ''Le Ch ...

Reception

''New York Times''' Vincent Canby described Claude Sautet as an artist who often uses his films to lambast bourgeoisie's hypocrisy, a trait that is seen in this and other movies he directed. In ''Quelques jours avec moi'', he uses Martial's character to counter the above, as he represents its antithesis. In ''Le Figaro'', Nicolas Jouenne notes his perception of the film as a comedy at first, rather hilarious, that swerves onto a tragedy toward the end.

Accolades

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Few Days with Me 1988 films Films directed by Claude Sautet Films scored by Philippe Sarde French comedy-drama films 1980s French-language films 1980s French films 1988 comedy-drama films French-language comedy-drama films