The Crisis

The Crisis (La Crise, 1992) is a French tragicomedy by Coline Serreau, available to watch online on iFILM. In a single day Victor loses everything — his wife walks out in the morning, and he's fired by lunch.

Victor (Vincent Lindon) is a comfortable legal advisor whose ground vanishes from under him overnight. He runs to family and friends for support, but no one has the time: one is mid-divorce, another is drowning in money troubles, a third simply can't be bothered. The only person willing to listen is a chatty, broke drunk named Michou (Patrick Timsit) — a clingy, tactless tagalong Victor can't manage to shake.

Coline Serreau, who made Three Men and a Cradle, won the 1993 César for this screenplay. Under the comic surface sits a sharp jab at middle-class self-absorption — funny right up until you catch yourself in one of the characters. Light on its feet but with teeth, it's for anyone who likes their laughs laced with a little bitterness. Stream The Crisis (1992) online on iFILM.