A Man of His Time
2026 film by Emmanuel Marre
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A Man of His Time (French: Notre Salut, lit. 'Our Salvation') is a 2026 drama film written and directed by Emmanuel Marre, and loosely based on his great-grandfather life. A co-production of France and Belgium, it stars Swann Arlaud as Henri Marre, a collaborationist during the Vichy France, a puppet state established by Nazi Germany during the World War II.[1]
| A Man of His Time | |
|---|---|
French promotional poster | |
| French | Notre Salut |
| Literally | Our Salvation |
| Directed by | Emmanuel Marre |
| Written by | Emmanuel Marre |
| Produced by |
|
| Starring |
|
| Cinematography | Olivier Boonjingp |
| Edited by | Nicolas Rumpl |
Production companies |
|
| Distributed by |
|
Release dates |
|
Running time | 155 minutes |
| Countries |
|
| Language | French |
The film had its world premiere in the main competition of the 79th Cannes Film Festival on 20 May 2026, where it won the Best Screenplay prize and three parallel prizes. It will be theatrically released in France and Belgium on 30 September.
Synopsis
In 1940, Henri Marre arrives in Vichy with aspirations to publish his manuscript Notre Salut, which he hopes will rescue France. Day after day, he dedicates himself to collaborating with the Vichy regime.[2][3]
Cast
- Swann Arlaud as Henri Marre[4]
- Sandrine Blancke as Paulette Marre
- Mathieu Perotto as Gasque
- Jean-Baptiste Marre as Maux
- Harpo Guit as Harpo
- Mathilde Abd-el-Kader as Corinne
- Florian Surrier as Theophile
- Claudine Barthel-Fournier as Arlette
Production
Development
A co-production between France and Belgium, A Man of His Time was produced by Michigan Films (Belgium) and Kidam (France), in co-production with Condor Films, Les Films Pelléas, Unité, Les Films de Pierre, The Ink Connection, Actarus, France 2 Cinéma, RTBF, Be tv & Orange, and Proximus.[5][6][non-primary source needed] Arlaud's character, while fictional, was inspired by Emmanuel Marre's own great-grandfather Henri Marre, who was a provincial inspector at the Limoges office of the Commission for the Fight against Unemployment in the 1940s.[7]
Filming
Principal photography began on 14 April 2025, with shooting scheduled to last nine weeks.[8] Filming took place in Vichy, Limoges, Bordeaux and Brussels.[9]
Initially intending to shoot on 16mm film, for budget, shot length and camera size reasons, cinematographer Olivier Boonjingp chose to shoot with two Digital Bolex cameras instead.[10][11]
Release
A Man of His Time was selected to compete for the Palme d'Or at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival,[12][13] where it had its world premiere on 20 May.[14] It will have its North American premiere in the Main Slate of the 2026 New York Film Festival.[15] It was also selected for the 71st Valladolid International Film Festival.[16]
International sales were handled by Paris-based company Charades.[5] The film will be released theatrically in France and Belgium on 30 September 2026, distributed by Condor Distribution in France and Cinéart in Belgium.[17][18] 1-2 Special acquired the film for the United States, currently planning a theatrical release in 2027.[19]
Reception
Critical response
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 81% of 21 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.5/10.[20] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 71 out of 100, based on 11 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[21]
Accolades
| Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cannes Film Festival | 23 May 2026 | Palme d'Or | Emmanuel Marre | Nominated | [22] |
| Best Screenplay | Won | [23] | |||
| Prix des Cinémas Art et Essai | Won | ||||
| Prix de la Citoyenneté Special Mention | Won | ||||
| CST Award for Best Artist-Technician | Nicolas Rumpl | Won |
