En même temps


En même temps is a 2022 French comedy film produced, written, and directed by Benoît Delépine and Gustave Kervern. It is the tenth film directed by the duo together and was considered a commercial failure.

Synopsis

The mayors of two small French towns, from opposing political sides, are glued together by a feminist activist. The forced proximity compels the two men to reconcile their differing views on economic development and ecology.

Cast

Production

Pre-production

The film's original title was Union nationale, but was considered to be too militaristic. The title was subsequently changed to En même temps '','' a phrase notably used by French president Emmanuel Macron during his 2017 presidential campaign and his subsequent presidency.
Keveren stated that politicians embody what it means to be human in the modern world, comparing them to circus performers who must juggle plates to prevent them from falling. While he believes this is what people do to avoid catastrophe, a politician who follows this principle is "guaranteed to run straight into a wall".
Deléphine stated that this title is both contemporary, as it could be seen as a criticism of Macronism, and timeless, expressing the difficulty of satisfying everyone and making genuine political choices.

Filming

Filming took place over a month in Occitania in 2021, with the aim of releasing the film in time for the 2022 French presential election.

Box office

After the film's release in France, the film attracted 16,346 admissions on its first day of screening, including 5,309 from previews, across 412 copies. It ranked behind the comedies Qu'est-ce qu'on a tous fait au bon Dieu? and The Bad Guys, but ahead of the Spanish horror film The Grandmother. By the end of its first week, the film achieved 75,421 admissions, placing seventh behind The Batman and ahead of Notre-Dame on Fire. With 125,642 admissions over six weeks, the film earned just over €670,000 against a budget of €2.9 million.

Critical reception

Despite the film's lack of success at the box office, it was generally well received by critics, such as Le Parisien, L'Humanité, and Marianne, and earned a cumulative rating of 3.4/5 stars from AlloCiné.
However, some reviews were more critical, such as that of French film magazine Première, which gave the film a one-star rating, criticising its directors and two leading actors, claiming that the film is "best forgotten".