Love Little Miss Sunshine? This French Comedy with Pierre Lottin Will Sweep You Away!

Throughout the week, AlloCiné offers a sneak peek at some of the comedies of 2025, selected for the Alpe d’Huez Film Festival. This comedy film festival in Isère, now in its 28th year, showcases a mix of debut features and discoveries, as well as films from more established directors. Spotlight on “On ira,” Enya Baroux’s first feature film.

In her debut as a feature film director, Enya Baroux, who previously created the short format “Fleur bleue,” currently airing on Canal+, strikes a perfect balance between humor, emotion, and warmth. “On ira” tackles a sensitive subject, assisted suicide, and end-of-life care.

The plot is as follows: Marie, 80 years old, is fed up with her illness. She has a plan: to go to Switzerland to end her life. But when the time comes to tell Bruno, her irresponsible son, and Anna, her teenage granddaughter, she panics and concocts a massive lie. Pretending there’s a mysterious inheritance to be claimed at a Swiss bank, she suggests they all take a trip together. Rudy, a nursing assistant she just met, becomes an unwitting accomplice in this charade, driving the old family camper on an unexpected journey.

Featuring Pierre Lottin, Currently Star of the Hit “En fanfare”

The film’s success lies in the meticulous crafting of its characters and their performers. The cast includes Hélène Vincent (recently seen in “Quand vient l’automne” and memorable in “La vie est un long fleuve tranquille”), Pierre Lottin (“En fanfare,” “Les Tuche”), David Ayala (“D’argent et de sang,” “Un Triomphe”) and the young Juliette Gasquet (notably seen in the Netflix series “Fiasco”). It’s worth noting that Pierre Lottin and Hélène Vincent had previously starred together in the film “Quand vient l’automne.”

Hélène Vincent is particularly moving in this role. She even received a career honor award yesterday on the stage of the Alpe d’Huez festival palace.

With its delicacy and quite unique mix of tones, “On ira” reminds us of the American film “Little Miss Sunshine.” It features the concept of a road trip bringing together a dysfunctional yet endearing family.

“When she proposed the script, that was my first reaction,” says Hélène Vincent to our microphone. Enya Baroux confirms that the film was an important reference. “Little Miss Sunshine, when you watch it, seems simple, but there’s a huge amount of work on the script, character creation, and their interactions…” And she adds, “You’re taken along with them, it’s not overly polished. There’s a bit of a raw feel to the imagery and that’s what I wanted. I wanted it to be beautiful but to believe we are with them, not thinking about the staging.”

The film is full of pop references, some vintage, like the song “Voyage, voyage” by Desireless (a cover of the song performed by Barbara Pravi can also be heard in the end credits). The scene set in a bowling alley is particularly cinematic, featuring a song previously heard in “Dirty Dancing” (“Hey Baby” by Bruce Channel).

To catch this film, viewers will need to wait until March 12, 2025.

A 28th Edition Celebrating First-Time Directors

Founded in 1997, the Alpe d’Huez Festival is held, as the name suggests, in the eponymous winter sports resort. Located at an altitude of 1800 meters in the heart of Isère, the area has welcomed thousands of festival-goers for nearly three decades, allowing them to discover each year the major upcoming comedy films.

Launched last January 13, the 28th edition of the festival is in full swing: screenings, meetings, and signings are all part of this week dedicated to first-time directors. Of the ten feature films in competition, seven are the directorial debut of their filmmakers.