In *The Progressive Nostalgics*, also known as *C’était mieux demain* (2025), freedom is always just a wingbeat away from the good old days. Director Vinciane Millereau demonstrates a remarkable knack for capturing the absurdities of our time. With cheeky humor, sharp sarcasm, and delightful situational comedy, *The Progressive Nostalgics* takes aim at the promises of salvation in our present day and explores the wonderful relativity of history.
A family idyll in 1950s France. Michel Dupuis (Didier Bourdon), a man of average ability, is a bank clerk and the family’s breadwinner. His wife Hélène (Elsa Zylberstein)—with a perm but a rebellious streak—takes care of the household and the children. This patriarchal paradise seems perfect until a short circuit in the washing machine they’ve just moved in catapults the couple into the year 2025. Suddenly, the roles are reversed. While Hélène, despite her complete lack of knowledge, does surprisingly well as a career-driven power woman, Michel has to struggle as a stay-at-home dad in a smart home. Instead of rhetoric of submission, Michel now needs empowerment, while Hélène enjoys the freedom of emancipation. But this brave new world has its pitfalls: the virtual voice assistant is as stubborn as a mule, you have to assemble the furniture yourself, dog poop has to be picked up off the floor, and their own daughter Jeanne (Mathilde Le Borgne) wants to marry her girlfriend. Now the disempowered head of the family has had enough. It’s back to the good old days—and right now! If only he knew how to program the smart washing machine to take him back in time…
