Don’t Worry, I’m Fine, by Philippe Lioret, with Melanie Laurent

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Don’t Worry, I’m Fine, by Philippe Lioret, with Melanie Laurent

11 June 2023

Don't Worry, I'm Fine, by Philippe Lioret, film still with Melanie Laurent

Still from Don’t Worry, I’m Fine, directed by Philippe Lioret.

Nineteen year old Lili (Mélanie Laurent), has returned to her parents place in Paris, France, after a holiday in Spain. She is alarmed to learn Loïc, her musician twin brother, stormed out of the family home days earlier, following an argument with her father, Paul (Kad Merad).

Believing, as twin siblings, they have a close bond, a perplexed Lili expects to hear something from her brother before too long. But her frustration only grows after he fails to respond to her calls and texts. Lili is also disheartened by her parent’s blasé attitude to Loïc’s abrupt departure.

Both her father, and mother, Isabelle (Isabelle Renauld), feel there is nothing they, nor anyone else, can do. They tell Lili the police have no interest, as they see it as a family matter. Lili soon breakdowns under the pressure, and is admitted, against her will, to a psychiatric hospital.

Her spirits only begin to lift after Loïc sends a letter assuring her he’s fine, and just needs some time away from their parents, particularly their father, whom he remains highly critical of. Loïc tells Lili he’s travelling from town to town around France, playing gigs, and working odd jobs, for a living.

As the months pass, letters and postcards continue to arrive sporadically, and a more settled Lili, who is now twenty, begins to get on with her life. But while on a holiday in another region of France with friends, Lili makes a disturbing discovery about the letters Loïc has been sending her.

Don’t Worry, I’m Fine, also known as Je vais bien, ne t’en fais pas (trailer), is a slow burning family drama, and a meditation on the extraordinary, unfathomable, decisions people make. Although the story is mostly straightforward, French filmmaker Philippe Lioret permeates proceedings with the feeling that something is not quite right.

Made in 2006, Don’t Worry, I’m Fine, sees Mélanie Laurent aged about twenty-three, already well established in her acting career. Her heartrending performance here, together with that of Kad Merad, steers this tale of a troubled family towards a final reveal that will leave your head spinning.