# My Golden Days

My Golden Days (French: Trois souvenirs de ma jeunesse, lit. 'Three Memories of my Youth'), also titled My Golden Years, is a 2015 French drama film directed by Arnaud Desplechin. It stars Quentin Dolmaire, Lou Roy-Lecollinet, and Mathieu Amalric. It is a prequel to the 1996 film My Sex Life... or How I Got into an Argument. It was screened as part of the Directors' Fortnight section of the 2015 Cannes Film Festival, where it won the SACD Prize.

## Plot

Due to a passport problem, an anthropologist Paul is stopped and interrogated at the airport in Paris. He recalls the memories of his youth.
Told in three segments: (1: “Childhood”) Paul argues with his mother and goes and stays with an aunt. His mother dies and his angry father attacks him. (2: “Russia”) Paul is questioned about a passport irregularity. He explains that he went on a school trip to Russia. His Jewish friend agreed to act as a courier, handing over money and books. Paul gave up his passport (3: “Esther”) Paul falls in love with his sister’s friend Esther, beautiful, promiscuous, and unhappy. They meet at parties and begin a long-term relationship, though each has other lovers. Paul studies in Paris but returns home when he can. His tutor dies and he works on a research project in Tajikistan. (“Epilogue”) Paul bumps into Jean-Paul and his wife. Paul says Jean-Paul betrayed him while he was away.

## Cast

* Quentin Dolmaire as Paul Dédalus
* Lou Roy-Lecollinet as Esther
* Mathieu Amalric as Paul (adult)
* Dinara Droukarova as Irina
* Pierre-Benoist Varoclier as Yorick
* Françoise Lebrun as Rose
* Irina Vavilova as Mme Sidorov
* Olivier Rabourdin as Abel Dédalus
* Anne Benoît as Louise
* Elyot Milshtein as Marc Zylberberg
* Pierre Andrau as Kovalki
* Lily Taieb as Delphine Dédalus
* Raphaël Cohen as Ivan Dédalus
* Clémence Le Gall as Pénélope
* Théo Fernandez as Bob
* Yassine Douighi as Medhi
* Ève Doé-Bruce as Professor Béhanzin
* Mélodie Richard as Gilberte
* Pierre-Benoist Varoclier as Yorick
* Éric Ruf as Kovalki (adult)
* Patrick d'Assumçao as The monk

## Release

The film had is world premiere in the Directors' Fortnight section at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival on 15 May 2015. It was released in France on 20 May 2015.

## Reception
### Critical reception

On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 88% based on 69 reviews, with an average rating of 7.5/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "My Golden Years is a complex, well-acted coming-of-age drama." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 87 out of 100, based on 24 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".

### Accolades

| Award | Year of ceremony | Category | Recipient(s) | Result |
| Cabourg Film Festival | 2015 | Best Director | Arnaud Desplechin | Won |
| Cannes Film Festival | 2015 | SACD Prize | My Golden Days | Won |
| César Award | 2016 | Best Film | My Golden Days | Nominated |
| César Award | 2016 | Best Director | Arnaud Desplechin | Won |
| César Award | 2016 | Most Promising Actor | Quentin Dolmaire | Nominated |
| César Award | 2016 | Most Promising Actress | Lou Roy-Lecollinet | Nominated |
| César Award | 2016 | Best Original Screenplay | Arnaud Desplechin and Julie Peyr | Nominated |
| César Award | 2016 | Best Cinematography | Irina Lubtchansky | Nominated |
| César Award | 2016 | Best Editing | Laurence Briaud | Nominated |
| César Award | 2016 | Best Original Music | Grégoire Hetzel | Nominated |
| César Award | 2016 | Best Sound | Nicolas Cantin, Sylvain Malbrant, and Stéphane Thiébaut | Nominated |
| César Award | 2016 | Best Costume Design | Nathalie Raoul | Nominated |
| César Award | 2016 | Best Production Design | Toma Baquéni | Nominated |
| Chicago International Film Festival | 2015 | Best Art Direction | Toma Baqueni | Won |
| Louis Delluc Prize | 2015 | Best Film | My Golden Days | Nominated |
| Lumières Award | 2016 | Best Film | My Golden Days | Nominated |
| Lumières Award | 2016 | Best Director | Arnaud Desplechin | Won |
| Lumières Award | 2016 | Best Male Revelation | Quentin Dolmaire | Nominated |
| Lumières Award | 2016 | Best Female Revelation | Lou Roy-Lecollinet | Nominated |
| Lumières Award | 2016 | Best Screenplay | Arnaud Desplechin and Julie Peyr | Nominated |
| Lumières Award | 2016 | Best Cinematography | Irina Lubtchansky | Nominated |
| Lumières Award | 2016 | Best Music | Grégoire Hetzel | Won |
| Prix Jacques Prévert du Scénario | 2016 | Best Original Screenplay | Arnaud Desplechin and Julie Peyr | Won |