My Golden Days

French director Arnaud Desplechin here chronicles the reckless and rueful behavior of three periods in a man's life. Middle-aged anthropologist Paul (Mathieu Amalric) is wrapping up an assignment in Tajikistan. While his sexy Tajik girlfriend watches him pack, Paul goes into a flashback mode, recalling a trio of important episodes in his life. The first occurs in his childhood, where his home life is in constant turmoil due to his father's deep depressions and his mother's mental instability. Unable to withstand the physical and emotional violence around him, he flees to the home of his great-aunt and her Russian lesbian lover. In the second story, Paul is a teenager on a trip to the Soviet Union, where he creates havoc by giving his passport to a Jewish dissident who then assumes his identity. In the third tale, Paul is a poor student living in Paris, where he becomes infatuated with a beautiful girl named Esther (Cesar Award-nominated Lou Roy-Lecollinet). My Golden Days serves up a warm yet bittersweet meditation on how selective memories of particular life incidents shape a person's existence, with Desplechin's subtle direction and the highly efficient ensemble cast creating a work of gentle style and deep substance. Highly recommended. [Note: DVD extras include a conversation with director Arnaud Desplechin (15 min.), a “Two Pauls and Three Esthers: Meeting the Actors” segment (13 min.), a “Casting Session: Paul & Esther” featurette (5 min.), and trailers. Bottom line: a solid extras package for this powerful foreign film.] (P. Hall)