«Demain tout commence» with Omar Sy

Samuel (Omar Sy), a beach attendant, is living the good life, between boozy nights out and days spent on a boat. One day, a «one-night stand» leaves him with a baby who, strangely enough, is a little over ten months old. Samuel learns that he is the father. And, to his utter astonishment, he watches the woman vanish into a taxi, leaving Samuel with her belongings and… her child. He then flies off to London with the baby and ends up raising him there alongside a producer friend who is portrayed remarkably well. The rest, as the film will reveal, is up to you.

Of course, the story is saccharine. Of course, the viewer isn’t invited to engage in deep reflection. Of course, the production is «commercial,» as they say. Yet I find it increasingly difficult to agree with the media, which labels any work deemed popular or successful as bad. What is fundamentally wrong with making a movie that will appeal to a wide audience? Isn’t that, rather, a sign of a certain talent?

It’s true that many commercial works are bad. But that’s not necessarily the case. A film or book can very well be both effective and interesting. Such is the case, in my humble opinion, with Hugo Gélin’s feature film, Tomorrow it all begins, where all of Omar Sy's fans flocked. This actor has been criticized for (Télérama (at the top of the list) for not having chosen a less conventional role, even though he is currently one of the French public’s favorite celebrities.

Once again, this criticism seems to me to be way off the mark. With this film, Omar Sy stays true to his style. That’s actually a sign of intelligence: a filmmaker who has found his style, for example, will of course seek to improve it, but he won’t abandon it. In Tomorrow it all begins, Omar Sy continues to deliver what audiences love about him—and what he himself undoubtedly loves about himself: charisma, natural humor, and emotion that is sometimes hidden.

Emotion—that’s what should be the most important criterion for evaluating a comedy-drama. Strangely, none of the film’s negative reviews mention this—no doubt because the critics were moved and know it’s not in their best interest to venture into that territory. Indeed, when it comes to the laughter and tears the film offers, it’s a complete success—especially when it comes to the tears. And the screenplay, even though it’s tinged with a somewhat corny moral, has plenty of twists and turns in store.

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