''Flashback'' is a 2021 French

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy literature and drama ...

comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending ( black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the o ...

written and directed by

Caroline Vigneaux Caroline Vigneaux, (born 27 January 1975 in Nantes), is a French comedian. Life Caroline Vigneaux was born on 27 January 1975 in Nantes. Her father is an engineer and her mother a speech therapist. After being sent by her parents to Catholic ...

. It stars Vigneaux, Sophia Aram,

Suzanne Clément Suzanne Clément (born 12 May 1969) is a Canadian actress. She is known for her work in Xavier Dolan's arthouse films ''I Killed My Mother'' (2009), ''Laurence Anyways'' (2012), and '' Mommy'' (2014). With Emilie DeQuenne, she shared the Un Cert ...

, Lison Daniel,

Gad Elmaleh Gad Elmaleh ( ar, جاد المالح, Latn, ar, Gād el-Māleḥ; born 19 April 1971) is a Moroccan-Canadian stand-up comedian and actor who achieved fame in France, Morocco and the United States. He is best known in the French-speaking wor ...

Lannick Gautry Lannick Gautry (born 3 March 1976) is a French actor. Theater Filmography External links

* 1976 births Living people People from Saint-Germain-en-Laye French male film actors French male stage actors French male television acto ...

, Emy Letertre, Florent Peyre and

Sylvie Testud Sylvie Testud (born 17 January 1971) is a French actress hose film career est Actress for '' Fear and Trembling'' (2003), and the European Film Award for Best Actress for ''Lourdes'' (2009). Her other film roles include '' Beyond Silence'' (1 ...

. A cynical lawyer is forced to relive the past and learn lessons from history. The film was released on

Prime Video Amazon Prime Video, also known simply as Prime Video, is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming and rental service of Amazon offered as a standalone service or as part of Amazon's Prime subscription. The service pr ...

on 11 November 2021.

Plot

Charlie Leroy is a self-centered, career-driven lawyer who succeeds in getting her client, an accused rapist, acquitted on the grounds that his accuser was wearing thong underwear at the time, which Charlie argues indicates that the sex was consensual. Charlie does this cynically, as she herself is wearing thong underwear that day. After celebrating her court victory, Charlie is given a ride by a magical taxi driver, Hubert, who causes her to travel through time to different moments in French history, as well as events in Charlie's own life and the life of her parents, so that she learns about the previous struggles of women to gain equality, and also gains a better understanding of her own mother's life and struggles. Events in which Charlie participates include: * The

trial of Joan of Arc Joan of Arc was a young French woman who said she had been sent to help Charles VII during the Hundred Years' War, which led to her capture by the English-allied Burgundians during the siege of Compiègne in 1430. She was sold to the English, ...

in 1431, where Charlie, who is suspected of being in league with the devil due to her red underwear, is subjected to trial by water * Her parents getting their first bank account (which will be controlled by her father) in 1964 * A brief encounter with a violent

caveman The caveman is a stock character representative of primitive humans in the Paleolithic. The popularization of the type dates to the early 20th century, when Neanderthals were influentially described as " simian" or " ape-like" by Marcellin ...

in prehistoric times * A romantic evening of conversation with

George Sand Amantine Lucile Aurore Dupin de Francueil (; 1 July 1804 – 8 June 1876), best known by her pen name George Sand (), was a French novelist, memoirist and journalist. One of the most popular writers in Europe in her lifetime, bein ...

in 1850 * A political meeting with

Olympe de Gouges Olympe de Gouges (; born Marie Gouze; 7 May 17483 November 1793) was a French playwright and political activist whose writings on women's rights and abolitionism reached a large audience in various countries. She began her career as a playwright ...

and

Nicolas de Condorcet Marie Jean Antoine Nicolas de Caritat, Marquis of Condorcet (; 17 September 1743 – 29 March 1794), known as Nicolas de Condorcet, was a French philosopher and mathematician. His ideas, including support for a liberal economy, free and equal ...

relating to the Declaration of the Rights of Women, in 1793 * Seeing her father acting abusively to a young Charlie and her mother, on the first observation of

International Women's Day International Women's Day (IWD) is a global holiday list of minor secular observances#March, celebrated annually on March 8 as a focal point in the women's rights, women's rights movement, bringing attention to issues such as gender equality, ...

in France, in 1982 * Accidentally running over

Pierre Curie Pierre Curie ( , ; 15 May 1859 – 19 April 1906) was a French physicist, a pioneer in crystallography, magnetism, piezoelectricity, and radioactivity. In 1903, he received the Nobel Prize in Physics with his wife, Marie Curie, and Henri Becq ...

on a wagon, then convincing

Aristide Briand Aristide Pierre Henri Briand (; 28 March 18627 March 1932) was a French statesman who served eleven terms as Prime Minister of France during the French Third Republic. He is mainly remembered for his focus on international issues and reconcilia ...

(who is then Minister of Education) to appoint Pierre's widow

Marie Curie Marie Salomea Skłodowska–Curie ( , , ; born Maria Salomea Skłodowska, ; 7 November 1867 – 4 July 1934) was a Polish and naturalized-French physicist and chemist who conducted pioneering research on radioactivity. She was the first ...

to the professorship he held, in 1906 * Meeting (and seducing)

Napoleon Bonaparte Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader wh ...

as he is drafting language defining the roles of husband and wife that is subsequently included in the Napoleonic Code of 1804, in 1803 * Meeting her grandparents at a polling place during the first French elections allowing women to vote in 1945 * Witnessing the trial of

Marie-Claire Chevalier Marie-Claire Chevalier (12 July 1955 – 23 January 2022) was a French abortion rights activist. She was defended in the by Gisèle Halimi in 1972. The victory in this trial was key for the legalization of abortion in France and the Veil Act. ...

in 1972, along with

Simone de Beauvoir Simone Lucie Ernestine Marie Bertrand de Beauvoir (, ; ; 9 January 1908 – 14 April 1986) was a French existentialist philosopher, writer, social theorist, and feminist activist. Though she did not consider herself a philosopher, and even ...

Charlie is eventually brought back to the morning of the trial, where she relieves the day differently. Charlie surprises everyone by representing the rape victim instead of the accused, and the trial ends in a finding of guilt.

Cast

Production

In March 2021, it was announced

, Sophia Aram,

, Lison Daniel,

Lannick Gautry Lannick Gautry (born 3 March 1976) is a French actor. Theater Filmography External links

* 1976 births Living people People from Saint-Germain-en-Laye French male film actors French male stage actors French male television acto ...

, Emy Letertre, Florent Peyre and

had joined the cast of the film, with Vigneaux directing from a screenplay she wrote, with

Alain Goldman Alain Goldman, also known as Ilan Goldman (born 12 January 1961) is a French film producer. Early life Goldman was born in Montmartre, Paris, the son of Jewish parents. His grandfather was the first representative for Universal Pictures in France ...

serving as a producer under his

Légende Films Legende or Légende may refer to: * ''Légende'' (Cras), a work for cello and piano by Jean Cras * ''Légende'' (Enescu), a work for solo trumpet and piano by George Enescu * ''Légende'' (Wieniawski), a showpiece by the Polish violin virtuoso He ...

banner, with

Amazon Studios Amazon Studios is an American television and film producer and distributor that is a subsidiary of Amazon. It specializes in developing television series and distributing and producing films. It was started in late 2010. Content is distributed t ...

set to distribute. The film overtly references the 1993 time loop film ''

Groundhog Day Groundhog Day ( pdc, Grund'sau dåk, , , ; Nova Scotia: Daks Day) is a popular North American tradition observed in the United States and Canada on February 2. It derives from the Pennsylvania Dutch superstition that if a groundhog emerges f ...

'', Charlie's radio alarm clock announces, "It is not Groundhog Day, it is National Women's day."

Principal photography Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production. Personnel Besides the main film personnel, such as a ...

on the film began in February 2021.

Music

The following musical selections were used during the movie and listed in the closing credits. * "Bitch" by

Plastiscines The Plastiscines are a French all-female rock band who perform their songs in both French and English. They have released three albums, spanning from garage rock revival and pop punk to disco-orientered pop music. History The Plastiscines ar ...

* "We Can Hide Out" by Ofenbach &

Portugal. The Man Portugal. The Man is an American rock band from Wasilla, Alaska, currently based in Portland, Oregon. The group consists of John Baldwin Gourley, Zach Carothers, Kyle O'Quin, Jason Sechrist, Eric Howk and Zoe Manville. Gourley and Carothers met a ...

* "Girls Just Wanna Have Some" by Chromatics * "You Want My Money" by

Lilly Wood and the Prick Lilly Wood and the Prick (also known simply as Lilly Wood and LILLYWOOD) is a French folk pop duo composed of Nili Hadida and Benjamin Cotto. Although the duo is French, Nili was born in Israel. They are best known for their single "Prayer in C" ...

* "Evolution" by

Aedan Aidan or Aiden is a modern version of a number of Celtic language names, including the Irish male given name ''Aodhán'', the Scottish Gaelic given name Aodhan and the Welsh name Aeddan. Phonetic variants, such as spelled with an "e" instead ...

* "Le temps" by Aedan * "Beijos" by

DJ Vadim Vadim Alexandrovich Peare (russian: Вадим Александрович Пир, Vadim Aleksandrovich Pir ...

feat. Heidi Vogel * "

Enola Gay The ''Enola Gay'' () is a Boeing B-29 Superfortress bomber, named after Enola Gay Tibbets, the mother of the pilot, Colonel Paul Tibbets. On 6 August 1945, piloted by Tibbets and Robert A. Lewis during the final stages of World War II, it be ...

" by

Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD) are an English electronic band formed in Wirral, Merseyside, in 1978. The group consists of co-founders Andy McCluskey (vocals, bass guitar) and Paul Humphreys (keyboards, vocals), along with Martin ...

* "Les filles de Camaret" (traditional) * " J'ai vu le loup, le renard et la belette" (traditional) * " Etude Op. 10, No. 3 (Tristesse)" by

Frédéric Chopin Frédéric François Chopin (born Fryderyk Franciszek Chopin; 1 March 181017 October 1849) was a Polish composer and virtuoso pianist of the Romantic period, who wrote primarily for solo piano. He has maintained worldwide renown as a leadin ...

* "

Lemon Incest "Lemon Incest" is a single recorded by French father and daughter Serge and Charlotte Gainsbourg. It was recorded in 1984 and released as a single from Serge's 1985 album '' Love on the Beat'' and on Charlotte's 1986 debut album '' Charlotte For ...

" by

Serge Gainsbourg Serge Gainsbourg (; born Lucien Ginsburg; 2 April 1928 – 2 March 1991) was a French musician, singer-songwriter, actor, author and filmmaker. Regarded as one of the most important figures in French pop, he was renowned for often provoc ...

and

Charlotte Gainsbourg Charlotte Lucy Gainsbourg (; born 21 July 1971) is a British-French actress and singer. She is the daughter of English actress Jane Birkin and French musician Serge Gainsbourg. After making her musical debut with her father on the song " Lemo ...

, with music based on Chopin's Étude Op. 10, No. 3 * "

La Traviata ''La traviata'' (; ''The Fallen Woman'') is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi set to an Italian libretto by Francesco Maria Piave. It is based on '' La Dame aux camélias'' (1852), a play by Alexandre Dumas ''fils'' adapted from his o ...

" by Carine Chassol * "T'as le Look, Coco" by Laroche Valmont * " Debout les femmes" by 39 Femmes * "Cheeky Vintage" by John Rowcroft * "Flashback" by Aedan, Voix Fanny Koom & Fanny Nkake * "Rimes féminines" by

Juliette Juliette is a feminine personal name of French origin. It is a diminutive of Julie. Notable people * Juliette (Canadian singer) (1926-2017), full name Juliette Augustina Sysak Cavazzi, Canadian singer and TV personality of the 1950s-1970s. known ...

Reception

Yves Jaeglé of ''

Le Parisien ''Le Parisien'' (; French for "The Parisian") is a French daily newspaper covering both international and national news, and local news of Paris and its suburbs. It is owned by LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton SE, better known as LVMH. Histor ...

'' rated the film 3.5 out of 5, calling it "Feminism

For Dummies ''For Dummies'' is an extensive series of instructional reference books which are intended to present non-intimidating guides for readers new to the various topics covered. The series has been a worldwide success with editions in numerous lan ...

" and a "slap in the face to sexism".

References

External links

* * {{Rotten Tomatoes, m/flashback 2021 films 2021 comedy films 2021 fantasy films 2021 directorial debut films 2020s fantasy comedy films 2020s feminist films 2020s French films 2020s French-language films 2020s political comedy films Amazon Prime Video original films Amazon MGM Studios films Films about time travel French fantasy comedy films French feminist films