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Upbeat and fast paced, the music is pumping, the people are walking. Walking to where exactly? Well, they are on their way to their next live stage performance. A troop of theatre actors and long friends, work by day and party by night. But one among them parties quite a bit more. Acting is absolutely brilliant she tells us. But being an actor, that is something that takes great strength. From the horrendous side roles, not allowing you to use your full potential, to no jobs at all, you are constantly searching for the next thing and hoping it will work out.
Young actress Garance (Adèle Exarchopoulos) is not yet the star she always dreamed to be. Trying her best to appear stable, she acts valiant, cheerful in front of her cohort and friends. Unfortunately, she also finds comfort in alcohol, an unconditional fuel she cannot live without. Time passes and Garance falls deeper into the pit. Changing jobs, finding things to do on the side for more money, but constantly on the alcohol. Over the course of eight years she is able to find friends in a group of young queers, who are always out partying too. One day she meets Pauline (Sara Giraudeau) and the two find a kindling romance. She still however, continues to drink her way towards the high possibility of death, while those around her watching her spiral out of control.
Another Day Is a Raw, Unflinching Portrait of Addiction That Only Adèle Exarchopoulos Could Carry
Following success in queer films such as Blue is the Warmest Colour (2013), The Five Devils (2022) and Passages (2023), Exarchopoulos stars in Jeanne Herry’s Garance. Providing us with another stellar unhinged performance, I could not help but be completely mesmerized by her the entire way through. I have seen it before in her, that need to hide in sorrow and grief. Personifying this horrible pain in Garance, Exarchopoulos brings her full force to the titular character. It is evident in the passion in the acting, the silence in the struggles, and the pure insanity while drinking, that Exarchopoulos knew where to take her character.
Exarchopoulos represents more than just her character in Another Day. She performs with such enjoyment, working well with her cohort on stage. Herry gives us an insiders perspective at the theatre. From the microphone and costume changes to the quickness of the stage calls. All is well presented to the audience. Even as Garance heads home for the day, the sense of her want for more is presented early in the film. Cleaning up after her messy roommates, and the longing on her face. Alcohol is the only way she can cope, and we see it everywhere. It is a sensation that many adults feel, even only in their early ages. That feeling of hopelessness or just the addition of alcohol for comfort.
As much as Another Day is visually well put together, it ultimately is in the dialogue where the story holds its gravity. Writing her own script evidently gave Herry the freedom to visualize and hear how the film would be amidst its creation. Time passes so quick in Garance’s life, it becomes difficult to understand just how much the film takes place over several years. Yet as it does, the pacing changes, giving Garance more and more time to drink. Conversations between friends come more rigid and rough, less soft than they were before. Subtle hints are hidden in Another Day to allude the audience to the idea that the drinking might never end. In fact, by giving her multiple chances to stop and heightening the feeling of anxiety and depression within Garance, Herry creates a story that although dramatized is relatable for a lot of people in the world.
Even with the brilliant crafting of characters, the narrative fails to assist the story’s clarity. As we jump around times in Garance’s life, the only stable point is her constant desire for alcohol and without it the continuous anxiety and panic attacks. In my viewing, Another Day need not be seen for its cinematic experience overall, but for how it can connect with the specific viewer. Whether struggling with coming-of-age (yes, it applies to 30-year-olds too), the constant need for alcohol or another vice, and the anxiety and worry about living, Another Day dramatizes this just enough that one might see themselves reflected in some way. Film is a beautiful medium, and not every element in it needs to be perfect. Actors have their struggles, we all do. Another Day is just another one, but in Garance’s case, she has to come to the edge of a cliff before she changes. Maybe that will remind us to not wait so long if we need to change.
Many professions are difficult to find your footing, and even if found it can be lost right away. Garance is a young actress who, like most, struggles. Being an adult is hard, no one can deny it. Thanks to Exarchopoulos, Garance is brought to life in extraordinary ways. Filled with tenderness, sadness and full-on madness and anxiety, Another Day is, to put it in simplest ways, a wild ride. Premiering at the Cannes Film Festival on May 17, 2026, as part of the In Competition section, it is no lie to say that Exarchopoulos’ strength and talent was once again seen by all.
Grade: B-
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Another Day / Garance
Garance is a young actress, but not a star. She manages everything as best she can, valiant, cheerful, a soldier, and she finds in alcohol an unconditional fuel, a source of comfort. Garance changes her life and begins an eight-year journey of moves, work, encounters, parties and anxieties, joys and hardships
Release Date: May 17, 2026
Director: Jeanne Herry
Cast: Adèle Exarchopoulos , Sara Giraudeau , Rudgy Pajany
