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Better Days

Name: Better Days
Director: Elsa Bennett, Hippolyte Dard
Released: 2025
Duration: 104 min

Representation Score

8.2/10

Excellent

2025

Director

Elsa Bennett, Hippolyte Dard

Runtime

104 minutes

Average Rating

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New Showbiz Analysis

Better Days succeeds by centering on women's ability to drive the narrative and the complexities of personal recovery. The narrative avoids the trap of idealized family life, instead exploring the grit required to navigate systemic failures and addiction. By focusing on characters reclaiming their autonomy through a physical challenge, the film offers a grounded look at resilience. While the film expands its scope through an international setting in Morocco, the core cast remains largely European. The lack of explicit LGBTQ+ representation also limits the film's breadth of identity exploration. Ultimately, the film's strength lies in its refusal to rely on easy moralism, opting instead for a realistic portrayal of characters finding unconventional support systems.

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Category Breakdown

Does Better Days have LGBTQ+ representation?

Fair

The film focuses on the emotional bonds between Suzanne, Alice, and Diane. However, there is no explicit mention of LGBTQ+ identities or non-straight relationships.

How does Better Days portray gender?

Good

The story centers on women's ability to drive the narrative and their resilience. It challenges familiar patterns by showing women reclaiming their lives and navigating physical challenges to achieve self-actualization.

How racially and ethnically diverse is Better Days?

Fair

The Moroccan desert setting provides a non-Western backdrop for character growth. While the cast is predominantly European, the international location offers geographic and cultural expansion.

How does Better Days represent religion and culture?

Good

The narrative deconstructs traditional family structures by focusing on parental failure and rehabilitation. It avoids idealized clichés in favor of a nuanced view of social reintegration.

Does Better Days include disability representation?

Good

Addiction and recovery are framed as invisible disabilities. The film gives real power to characters managing chronic conditions through their transition from vulnerability to physical competence.

Present on Screen

Strong emphasis on women's ability to drive the narrative and their resilience.
Nuanced exploration of addiction and recovery as invisible disabilities.
Challenges familiar domestic and family clichés.

Limited or Absent

Lack of explicit LGBTQ+ identity representation.
Predominantly European cast limits racial and ethnic breadth.

Official Synopsis

Following a car accident, Suzanne loses custody of her three children. She has no choice but to seek treatment at a center for alcoholics. As soon as she arrives, she meets Alice and Diane, two women with strong personalities. Denis, a sports instructor, will try to bring them together around the same goal: to participate in the Dune Rally in the Moroccan desert. He will need a lot of patience and teaching skills to prepare this unlikely team to achieve their goal.

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