| Flashback | |
| Director: | Caroline Vigneaux |
| Cinematography: | Vincent Mathias |
| Editing: | Frédérique Olszak |
| Studio: | Légende Films |
| Distributor: | Amazon Studios |
| Runtime: | 94 minutes |
| Country: | France |
| Language: | French |
Flashback is a 2021 French fantasy comedy film written and directed by Caroline Vigneaux. It stars Vigneaux, Sophia Aram, Suzanne Clément, Lison Daniel, Gad Elmaleh, Lannick Gautry, Emy Letertre, Florent Peyre and Sylvie Testud. A cynical lawyer is forced to relive the past and learn lessons from history. The film was released on Prime Video on 11 November 2021.[1]
Charlie Leroy is a self-centered, career-driven lawyer who succeeds in getting her client, an accused rapist, acquitted on the grounds that his accuser was wearing thong underwear at the time, which Charlie argues indicates that the sex was consensual. Charlie does this cynically, as she herself is wearing thong underwear that day. After celebrating her court victory, Charlie is given a ride by a magical taxi driver, Hubert, who causes her to travel through time to different moments in French history, as well as events in Charlie's own life and the life of her parents, so that she learns about the previous struggles of women to gain equality, and also gains a better understanding of her own mother's life and struggles.
Events in which Charlie participates include:
Charlie is eventually brought back to the morning of the trial, where she relives the day differently. Charlie surprises everyone by representing the rape victim instead of the accused, and the trial ends in a finding of guilt.
In March 2021, it was announced Caroline Vigneaux, Sophia Aram, Suzanne Clément, Lison Daniel, Gad Elmaleh, Lannick Gautry, Emy Letertre, Florent Peyre and Sylvie Testud had joined the cast of the film, with Vigneaux directing from a screenplay she wrote, with Alain Goldman serving as a producer under his Légende Films banner, with Amazon Studios set to distribute.[2] [3] The film overtly references the 1993 time loop film Groundhog Day, Charlie's radio alarm clock announces, "It is not Groundhog Day, it is National Women's day."
Principal photography on the film began in February 2021.[4]
The following musical selections were used during the movie and listed in the closing credits.
Yves Jaeglé of Le Parisien rated the film 3.5 out of 5, calling it "Feminism For Dummies" and a "slap in the face to sexism".[5]