Le discours (2020)

With Sonia (Sara Giraudeau), Adrien (Benjamin Lavernhe) has finally found the woman of his life. Then, one fine day, she suddenly tells him she needs “a break” from their relationship and leaves their home. That was thirty-eight days ago. Since then, Adrien has been unable to cope: he sent her a text message and saw that she had read it, but there was still no reply. On top of that, he has been invited to dinner at his parents’ house, along with his sister Sophie (Julia Piaton) and his future brother-in-law Ludo (Kyan Khojandi). Ludo asks him to give a speech at their wedding. That evening, Adrien finds it very hard to put up with his family’s little foibles: Ludo showing off his knowledge while his sister looks on admiringly, and his father (François Morel) endlessly going over the same old memories. His mother (Guilaine Londez) doesn’t really listen to him, his sister has stubbornly given him an encyclopedia for every birthday for years, and he has never thought it appropriate to introduce any of his girlfriends to his parents—not Sonia, any more than the others. He recalls the major milestones in his relationship with Sonia, their meeting and their first date, wondering when their closeness began to deteriorate, and whether Sonia might already have replaced him with a certain Romain (Sébastien Pouderoux). He imagines several versions of the famous speech: one brilliant, punctuated with magic tricks that he knows perfectly well he is incapable of performing, and others that are all more disastrous than the last. At dessert, a surprise arrives. Instead of his mother’s traditional yogurt cake, there is a pear-and-chocolate tart made by his sister. Ludo makes a small critical remark that Sophie has trouble taking, and Adrien, who has finally received a message on his cellphone, lavishly praises his sister’s baking to restore the mood. He then realizes that the message really is from Sonia. The film ends with one final version of Adrien’s speech at Sophie and Ludo’s wedding. He good-naturedly teases his parents, his sister, and his brother-in-law, then glances at Sonia, who is among the wedding guests. She answers him affectionately with a broad smile.