''Flashback'' is a 2021 French

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction that involves supernatural or Magic (supernatural), magical elements, often including Fictional universe, imaginary places and Legendary creature, creatures. The genre's roots lie in oral traditions, ...

comedy film The comedy film is a film genre that emphasizes humor. These films are designed to amuse audiences and make them laugh. Films in this genre typically have a happy ending, with dark comedy being an exception to this rule. Comedy is one of the o ...

written and directed by Caroline Vigneaux. 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). Career She started her career in 1992, with ...

, Lison Daniel,

Gad Elmaleh Gad Elmaleh (, Latn, ar, Gād el-Māleḥ; born 19 April 1971) is a Moroccan-Canadian stand-up comedian and actor. Best known in the French-speaking world, he has notably achieved fame in France, Morocco, and the United States. He has starre ...

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 Male actors from Île-de-France French male film actors French male stage a ...

, Emy Letertre, Florent Peyre and

Sylvie Testud Sylvie Testud (born 17 January 1971) is a French actress whose film career began in 1991. She won the César Award for Most Promising Actress for '' Murderous Maids'' (2000), the César Award for Best Actress for '' Fear and Trembling'' (2003) ...

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

Amazon Prime Video Amazon Prime Video, known simply as Prime Video, is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming television service owned by Amazon. The service primarily distributes films and television series produced or co-produced by ...

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 The thong is a garment generally used as either underwear or in some countries, as a swimsuit. It may also be worn for traditional ceremonies or competitions. Viewed from the front, the thong typically resembles a bikini bottom, but at th ...

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 The trial of Joan of Arc, a French military leader under Charles VII of France, Charles VII during the Hundred Years' War, began on 9 January 1431 and ended with her execution on 30 May. The trial is one of the most famous in history, becoming ...

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 B ...

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. Being more renowned than either Victor Hugo or Honoré de Balz ...

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. She is best known for her Declaration of the Rights of Woman and of the Female Citizen and other writings on women's rights and Abol ...

and

Nicolas de Condorcet Nicolas or Nicolás may refer to: People Given name * Nicolas (given name) Mononym * Nicolas (footballer, born 1999), Brazilian footballer * Nicolas (footballer, born 2000), Brazilian footballer Surname Nicolas * Dafydd Nicolas (c.1705–1774), ...

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 celebrated on 8 March, commemorating women's fight for equality and liberation along with the women's rights movement. International Women's Day gives focus to issues such as gender equality, reproductive righ ...

in France, in 1982 * Accidentally running over

Pierre Curie Pierre Curie ( ; ; 15 May 1859 – 19 April 1906) was a French physicist, Radiochemistry, radiochemist, and a pioneer in crystallography, magnetism, piezoelectricity, and radioactivity. He shared the 1903 Nobel Prize in Physics with his wife, ...

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 reconciliat ...

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

Marie Curie Maria Salomea Skłodowska-Curie (; ; 7 November 1867 – 4 July 1934), known simply as Marie Curie ( ; ), was a Polish and naturalised-French physicist and chemist who conducted pioneering research on radioactivity. She was List of female ...

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

Napoleon Bonaparte Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

as he is drafting language defining the roles of husband and wife that is subsequently included in the

Napoleonic Code The Napoleonic Code (), officially the Civil Code of the French (; simply referred to as ), is the French civil code established during the French Consulate in 1804 and still in force in France, although heavily and frequently amended since i ...

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 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, nor was she ...

Charlie is eventually brought back to the morning of the trial, where she relives 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 Caroline Vigneaux, Sophia Aram,

, Lison Daniel,

, 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 Ashkenazi Jews, Jewish parents. His grandfather was the first representative for Universal P ...

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 MGM Studios is an American film and television production and distribution company owned by Amazon, and headquartered at the Culver Studios complex in Culver City, California. Launched on November 16, 2010, it took its current name on O ...

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

Groundhog Day Groundhog Day (, , , ; Lunenburg County, Nova Scotia, Lunenburg, Nova Scotia: Daks Day) is a tradition observed regionally in the United States and Canada on February 2 of every year. It derives from the Pennsylvania Dutch superstition that if ...

'', 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 the ...

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 are ...

* "We Can Hide Out" by Ofenbach &

Portugal. The Man Portugal. The Man is an Alaskan rock band from Wasilla, Alaska and based in Portland, Oregon. The group consists of John Baldwin Gourley, Zach Carothers, Kyle O'Quin, Eric Howk and Zoe Manville. Gourley and Carothers met and began playing music t ...

* "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. Nili was born in Israel. They are best known for their single "Prayer in C”, which gained popularity ...

* "Evolution" by

Aedan Aidan, Aiden and Ayden are anglicised versions of the Irish male given name ''Aodhán''. The Irish language female equivalent is ''Aodhnait''. Etymology and spelling The name is derived from the name ''Aodhán'', which is a pet form of '' Aod ...

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

DJ Vadim Vadim Alexandrovich Peare (), known professionally as DJ Vadim, is a Russian-British DJ and record producer. Born in Saint Petersburg and raised in London, Peare is additionally a promoter, record collector, radio presenter, occasional painter ...

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 (United States), Colonel Paul Tibbets. On 6 August 1945, during the final stages of World War II, it became the Atomi ...

" by

Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD) are an English electronic music, electronic band formed in Meols, Merseyside in 1978 by Andy McCluskey (vocals, bass guitar) and Paul Humphreys (keyboards, vocals). Regarded as pioneers of electronic musi ...

* "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 Piano solo, solo piano. He has maintained worldwide renown ...

* "

Lemon Incest "Lemon Incest" is a song 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 singer-songwriter, actor, composer, and director. Regarded as one of the most important figures in French pop, he was renowned for often provocative rel ...

and

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

, with music based on Chopin's Étude Op. 10, No. 3 * " La Traviata" 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 language, French origin. It is a diminutive of Julie (given name), Julie. People * Juliette Adam (1836–1936), née Lamber, French author and feminist * Juliette Atkinson (1873–1944), American ten ...

Reception

Yves Jaeglé of ''

Le Parisien ''Le Parisien'' (; ) is a French daily newspaper covering both international and national news, and local news of Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of ...

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

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

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

References

External links

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