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Retour au bonheur

Name: Retour au bonheur
Director: René Jayet
Released: 1942
Duration: 92 min

Representation Score

1.1/10

Minimal

1942

Director

René Jayet

Runtime

92 minutes

Average Rating

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New Showbiz Analysis

Retour au bonheur is a typical domestic melodrama that upholds mid-20th-century social norms. The narrative structure aims to correct deviations from the norm, particularly punishing the female protagonist’s desire for professional advancement. The film relies on conventional formulas where the male figure restores order to a disrupted home. This creates a predictable cycle of conflict and resolution that offers little room for challenging social norms. Overall, the film reinforces the era’s status quo, prioritizing the stability of the nuclear family over individual or diverse identities.

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Category Breakdown

Does Retour au bonheur have LGBTQ+ representation?

Minimal

The film does not include any characters with non-binary gender identities or same-sex relationships. It focuses solely on a traditional heterosexual family structure.

How does Retour au bonheur portray gender?

Limited

Gender roles are very traditional. The mother’s career aspirations are shown as disruptive to the household, while the father is portrayed as the stabilizing force.

How racially and ethnically diverse is Retour au bonheur?

Minimal

The cast appears homogeneous, reflecting the typical makeup of 1940s French cinema. There is no indication of diverse racial or ethnic backgrounds.

How does Retour au bonheur represent religion and culture?

Limited

The storyline emphasizes Western values related to family sanctity. It follows a path that prioritizes restoring the traditional family structure.

Does Retour au bonheur include disability representation?

Minimal

A child’s illness is used as a plot device to drive the climax. There is no meaningful representation of permanent disabilities or neurodivergence.

Present on Screen

The film offers a clear, cohesive narrative focused on family reunification.

Limited or Absent

The film perpetuates rigid gender roles by presenting female ambition as a threat to domestic harmony.
The narrative lacks diversity in terms of racial, ethnic, and LGBTQ+ representation.
The portrayal of illness serves primarily as a plot device rather than a nuanced exploration of disability.

Official Synopsis

Wanting to complete the research of her doctor husband, a former actress returns to the stage and therefore abandons her home. Badly supervised, her little boy runs away. We find him ill in the Alps. He is saved by his father and the parents' union is sealed again.

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