La Belle Époque
Victor, a disillusioned sexagenarian, sees his life turned upside down on the day when Antoine, a brilliant entrepreneur, offers him a new kind of attraction: mixing theatrical artifices and historical reconstruction, this company offers his clients a chance to dive back into the era of their choice. Victor then chose to relive the most memorable week of his life: the one where, 40 years earlier, he met the great love.
Working with a small-scale budget of $11.0M, the film achieved a respectable showing with $13.9M in global revenue (+27% profit margin).
6 wins & 22 nominations
Plot Structure
Story beats plotted across runtime
Narrative Arc
Emotional journey through the story's key moments
Story Circle
Blueprint 15-beat structure
Arcplot Score Breakdown
Weighted: Precision (70%) + Arc (15%) + Theme (15%)
La Belle Époque (2019) reveals strategically placed plot construction, characteristic of Nicolas Bedos's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 15-point plot structure maps to proven narrative frameworks across 1 hour and 55 minutes. With an Arcplot score of 5.9, the film takes an unconventional approach to traditional narrative frameworks.
Structural Analysis
The Status Quo at 1 minutes (1% through the runtime) establishes Victor, a bitter cartoonist in his 60s, sits alone in a café sketching cynical caricatures. His wife Marianne has left him, and he's disconnected from his adult son and the modern world around him.. Of particular interest, this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 14 minutes when Maxime introduces Victor to Antoine's "Time Travelers" service, a company that recreates historical periods with actors and sets. Victor is intrigued but skeptical about this elaborate theatrical experience.. At 12% through the film, this Disruption aligns precisely with traditional story structure. This beat shifts the emotional landscape, launching the protagonist into the central conflict.
The First Threshold at 29 minutes marks the transition into Act II, occurring at 25% of the runtime. This indicates the protagonist's commitment to Victor signs the contract and commits to the time-travel experience. He actively chooses to relive May 1974, stepping away from his failed present into a reconstructed past., moving from reaction to action.
At 58 minutes, the Midpoint arrives at 50% of the runtime—precisely centered, creating perfect narrative symmetry. Notably, this crucial beat Victor and Margot share an authentic moment outside the simulation, kissing for real. The false victory: he thinks he's found genuine connection, but he's still avoiding his real problems. Stakes raise as the line between fantasy and reality blurs., fundamentally raising what's at risk. The emotional intensity shifts, dividing the narrative into clear before-and-after phases.
The Collapse moment at 86 minutes (75% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, Margot reveals she's engaged and was only acting. Victor's fantasy dies completely. He's confronted with the truth: you can't live in the past, and his obsession has been a delusion preventing real connection., reveals the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Second Threshold at 93 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 81% of the runtime. Victor realizes what he must do: stop living in fantasies and face reality. He understands that real connection requires presence, vulnerability, and accepting the now—not escaping to an idealized past., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
La Belle Époque's emotional architecture traces a deliberate progression across 15 carefully calibrated beats.
Narrative Framework
This structural analysis employs a 15-point narrative structure framework that maps key story moments. By mapping La Belle Époque against these established plot points, we can identify how Nicolas Bedos utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish La Belle Époque within the comedy genre.
Nicolas Bedos's Structural Approach
Among the 2 Nicolas Bedos films analyzed on Arcplot, the average structural score is 6.6, demonstrating varied approaches to story architecture. La Belle Époque takes a more unconventional approach compared to the director's typical style. For comparative analysis, explore the complete Nicolas Bedos filmography.
Comparative Analysis
Additional comedy films include The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, The Bad Guys and Lake Placid. For more Nicolas Bedos analyses, see Masquerade.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
Victor, a bitter cartoonist in his 60s, sits alone in a café sketching cynical caricatures. His wife Marianne has left him, and he's disconnected from his adult son and the modern world around him.
Theme
Antoine, the time-travel impresario, tells Victor: "We don't sell the past, we sell what people dream the past was." The theme of nostalgia versus authentic connection is stated.
Worldbuilding
Victor's world is established: estranged from Marianne who wants a divorce, alienated from his son Maxime, struggling with technology, and clinging to memories of happier times. He's stuck in the past, unable to engage with the present.
Disruption
Maxime introduces Victor to Antoine's "Time Travelers" service, a company that recreates historical periods with actors and sets. Victor is intrigued but skeptical about this elaborate theatrical experience.
Resistance
Antoine pitches the service to Victor, explaining how they meticulously recreate any era. Victor debates whether to escape into a fantasy of May 1974, the week he met Marianne. He resists at first, but his loneliness and desperation win out.
Act II
ConfrontationFirst Threshold
Victor signs the contract and commits to the time-travel experience. He actively chooses to relive May 1974, stepping away from his failed present into a reconstructed past.
Mirror World
Victor meets Margot, the young actress hired to play "Marianne" in the recreation. She represents authentic connection in the present versus his nostalgic fantasy, and their relationship will become the emotional heart of the story.
Premise
Victor lives out his fantasy of 1974, romancing "Marianne" (Margot). The premise delivers: elaborate sets, period details, and the thrill of reliving his glory days. But reality intrudes as Victor becomes aware it's a performance, and he grows closer to Margot herself.
Midpoint
Victor and Margot share an authentic moment outside the simulation, kissing for real. The false victory: he thinks he's found genuine connection, but he's still avoiding his real problems. Stakes raise as the line between fantasy and reality blurs.
Opposition
Victor becomes possessive and delusional, demanding the simulation continue beyond its planned end. The real Marianne reappears, forcing confrontation. Antoine's business faces crisis. Victor's fantasy world collapses as reality—his age, his failures, Margot's real life—closes in.
Collapse
Margot reveals she's engaged and was only acting. Victor's fantasy dies completely. He's confronted with the truth: you can't live in the past, and his obsession has been a delusion preventing real connection.
Crisis
Victor sits in darkness with his illusions shattered. He must process the loss of his fantasy and face the painful truth: he's been running from the present and authentic relationships. The past he idealized wasn't real.
Act III
ResolutionSecond Threshold
Victor realizes what he must do: stop living in fantasies and face reality. He understands that real connection requires presence, vulnerability, and accepting the now—not escaping to an idealized past.
Synthesis
Victor makes amends with Maxime, reconnects authentically with Marianne (not forcing reconciliation but finding closure), and helps save Antoine's business. He embraces the present and lets go of his fantasy past.
Transformation
Victor sketches with joy in the same café from the opening, but now he's engaged with the world around him, smiling genuinely. He's present, connected, and alive—transformed from bitter nostalgia to acceptance and openness.