Andréa Bescond and Eric Métayer struck a blow in 2017 with Tickles. They return to the big screen for When you are older, a serious comedy that evokes two generations left behind by society. “The very young and the very old are not productive so they don’t interest anyone”, confides Andréa Bescond to 20 minutes.
However, they will be forced to live together in an nursing home transformed into an annex of a school while a caregiver (Vincent Macaigne) and a facilitator (Aïssa Maïga) try to reconcile everyone’s interests. At first antagonistic, they discover that unity is strength in the face of adversity.
humor against despair
“Our film is militant with humour, insists Eric Métayer. The only way to react to a dramatic situation is sometimes to burst out laughing. What the spectator also does in the face of the delusional problems caused by budget cuts in all areas. “Our world is becoming more and more like those airlines where you are charged for the smallest thing and where you are considered only according to your means. »
Solidarity between individuals quickly turns out to be the solution between exhausted staff, children and seniors. “It is towards this type of solution between individuals that we must turn because it is the whole system that is defective, insists Andréa Bescond. In this sense, our film is a beacon of hope even if it deals with serious problems. Among them, illness, addiction and loneliness are placed at the center of the debate. The relationship between a man who loses his mind (Christian Sinniger, impeccable) and a child in need of affection offer beautiful moments of laughter and tenderness.
A gentle reflection
“We also wanted to sweep away preconceived ideas about old people, often shown in a sanitized way”, specifies Eric Métayer. Today’s grandpas and grandmas lived through young rock’n’roll years and are nothing like the “little oldies” with outdated tastes and the manners of a bygone era. “The anxieties they feel echo those of young people,” insists Andréa Bescond. They no longer know where their place is while the children are looking for theirs. All find refuge in the heart of the spectator who lets himself be gently carried away towards the reflection to which When you are older.