June 20, 2025
Unveiling Secrets: Love, Betrayal, and Family in 'Riviera Revenge'
In this episode of *Movies First*, Chris and Jessica delve into the delightful chaos of *Riviera Revenge*, a romantic comedy that uncovers the hidden secrets of long-term relationships. Inspired by a true story, the film follows 75-year-old Francois, a former military man, who stumbles upon love letters in his attic that reveal his wife Annie's decades-old affair with their close friend, Boris. This shocking discovery transforms their seemingly idyllic life and forces the family to confront buried tensions.
Set against the stunning backdrop of the French Riviera, the film artfully balances humor and serious themes, showcasing the emotional upheaval within Francois's family. Each of their three grown children presents unique challenges to their father's rigid worldview: Amori, the military heir; Capyssen, who struggles with her sexuality; and Adrian, a puppeteer whose passion goes unnoticed by his father. The dynamics between them create rich narrative tension as secrets unravel.
As Francois grapples with his wife's past, the confrontation with Boris becomes a comedic highlight, showcasing the absurdity of the situation. Meanwhile, Annie's journey from apologetic to assertive adds depth to the narrative, shifting the power dynamics in their relationship. The film raises compelling questions about forgiveness, the weight of betrayal over time, and how these revelations can serve as a catalyst for family healing.
With its vibrant setting and engaging storyline, *Riviera Revenge* is an easy watch that scores a solid 7.5 out of 10. Join us as we explore how this film captures the essence of love, betrayal, and the complexities of familial bonds.
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WEBVTT
0
00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.840
Chris: Marriage secrets have a way of surfacing at the
1
00:00:02.840 --> 00:00:05.680
most unexpected times. Take this
2
00:00:05.680 --> 00:00:08.480
story of a 75 year old former military man
3
00:00:08.880 --> 00:00:11.440
who discovered his wife's decades old affair
4
00:00:11.760 --> 00:00:14.640
while cleaning his attic. It completely
5
00:00:14.640 --> 00:00:17.440
transformed how I think about long term relationships.
6
00:00:17.920 --> 00:00:19.520
Jessica: That's such an intriguing situation.
7
00:00:20.720 --> 00:00:22.400
What exactly did he find up there?
8
00:00:23.360 --> 00:00:26.080
Chris: Well, Francois, this distinguished military
9
00:00:26.080 --> 00:00:28.840
officer, who'd been married to Annie since she was
10
00:00:28.840 --> 00:00:31.720
19, stumbled upon love letters written to
11
00:00:31.720 --> 00:00:34.080
her from one of their close friends, Boris.
12
00:00:34.880 --> 00:00:37.800
These weren't just any old letters. They were
13
00:00:37.800 --> 00:00:40.760
from 10 years into their marriage. And they revealed an
14
00:00:40.760 --> 00:00:43.520
affair he'd never known about. Now,
15
00:00:43.520 --> 00:00:46.160
before we go much further, I need to set the record
16
00:00:46.160 --> 00:00:49.000
straight. Riviera Revenge is a feel
17
00:00:49.000 --> 00:00:51.810
good romantic comedy, believe it or not. Hmm.
18
00:00:51.810 --> 00:00:54.660
Jessica: Um, and this wasn't just a fictional story,
19
00:00:54.660 --> 00:00:57.300
right? There's some real history behind
20
00:00:57.300 --> 00:00:57.700
this?
21
00:00:58.820 --> 00:01:01.660
Chris: That's exactly right. It was inspired by a
22
00:01:01.660 --> 00:01:04.420
true story from Italy where a 92 year old
23
00:01:04.420 --> 00:01:07.340
Sicilian man found similar letters from 70
24
00:01:07.340 --> 00:01:10.340
years earlier and immediately filed for divorce.
25
00:01:10.900 --> 00:01:13.900
The filmmaker, Ivan Kalbarak, adapted it and made
26
00:01:13.900 --> 00:01:16.780
the protagonist younger to create this fascinating
27
00:01:16.780 --> 00:01:18.420
exploration of family dynamics.
28
00:01:19.440 --> 00:01:22.360
Jessica: Well, that certainly puts a new spin on spring cleaning. How
29
00:01:22.360 --> 00:01:24.320
does Francois handle this discovery?
30
00:01:25.360 --> 00:01:27.840
Chris: Oh, he goes absolutely ballistic.
31
00:01:28.400 --> 00:01:30.880
Despite Annie trying to explain it was ancient history,
32
00:01:31.280 --> 00:01:34.200
he actually enlists his old military connections to
33
00:01:34.200 --> 00:01:36.960
track down Boris for a confrontation. But
34
00:01:36.960 --> 00:01:39.880
here's where it gets really interesting. Their three grown
35
00:01:39.880 --> 00:01:42.120
children each represent different challenges to
36
00:01:42.120 --> 00:01:43.840
Francois's rigid worldview.
37
00:01:44.890 --> 00:01:47.850
Jessica: Tell me more about these children. I'm guessing they're not
38
00:01:47.850 --> 00:01:50.410
all exactly what a military father might have hoped for.
39
00:01:51.130 --> 00:01:53.850
Chris: You know, that's putting it mildly. The
40
00:01:53.850 --> 00:01:56.730
eldest, Amori, uh, followed his father's military
41
00:01:56.730 --> 00:01:59.650
path and is expecting his fifth child, though
42
00:01:59.650 --> 00:02:02.450
Francois makes it clear he's hoping for a grandson
43
00:02:02.450 --> 00:02:05.050
after four granddaughters. Then there's
44
00:02:05.050 --> 00:02:07.850
Capyssen, who's been hiding her sexuality since high school.
45
00:02:08.170 --> 00:02:11.070
And Adrian, a professional puppeteer who
46
00:02:11.070 --> 00:02:13.110
shows his father has never once attended.
47
00:02:13.990 --> 00:02:16.590
Jessica: Those family dynamics must create some fascinating
48
00:02:16.590 --> 00:02:18.310
tensions when this scandal erupts.
49
00:02:19.110 --> 00:02:21.750
Chris: Absolutely fascinating. And what's
50
00:02:21.750 --> 00:02:24.750
remarkable is how the filmmaker manages to balance these
51
00:02:24.750 --> 00:02:27.430
serious themes with moments of genuine humor.
52
00:02:27.830 --> 00:02:30.470
The confrontation with Boris is particularly brilliant
53
00:02:30.630 --> 00:02:33.630
because he's completely laid back about the whole thing, which
54
00:02:33.630 --> 00:02:35.510
just drives Francois even crazier.
55
00:02:36.400 --> 00:02:39.280
Jessica: So how does Annie handle being caught between her past and present?
56
00:02:40.160 --> 00:02:42.880
Chris: That's one of the most compelling aspects. She
57
00:02:42.880 --> 00:02:45.600
starts out apologetic, but gradually finds her voice.
58
00:02:46.000 --> 00:02:48.720
As Francois keeps pushing, she starts pushing
59
00:02:48.720 --> 00:02:51.640
back, creating this fascinating power shift in
60
00:02:51.640 --> 00:02:54.440
their relationship. And all of this plays out against
61
00:02:54.440 --> 00:02:56.680
these stunning backdrops of the French
62
00:02:56.680 --> 00:02:57.520
Riviera.
63
00:02:58.080 --> 00:03:00.800
Jessica: The setting almost becomes another character, doesn't it?
64
00:03:01.930 --> 00:03:04.650
Chris: Precisely. These elegant homes and beautiful
65
00:03:04.650 --> 00:03:07.570
gardens create this perfect contrast with
66
00:03:07.570 --> 00:03:10.170
the emotional upheaval happening within them.
67
00:03:10.730 --> 00:03:13.570
It's like watching paradise crack apart at the
68
00:03:13.570 --> 00:03:16.570
seams. And what's particularly interesting is
69
00:03:16.570 --> 00:03:19.290
how each location seems to mirror
70
00:03:19.290 --> 00:03:21.770
different aspects of the family's facade
71
00:03:22.170 --> 00:03:23.530
versus their reality.
72
00:03:24.490 --> 00:03:26.570
Jessica: You know what really strikes me about this story?
73
00:03:27.620 --> 00:03:30.460
It's not just about infidelity. It's about how
74
00:03:30.460 --> 00:03:32.820
time changes our perspective on past events.
75
00:03:33.780 --> 00:03:36.340
Chris: That's exactly it. It raises these
76
00:03:36.340 --> 00:03:39.140
fascinating questions about forgiveness and
77
00:03:39.300 --> 00:03:42.140
time. Like does a decades
78
00:03:42.140 --> 00:03:44.980
old betrayal carry the same weight as a recent one?
79
00:03:45.460 --> 00:03:48.340
And how do you measure that against the life you've built
80
00:03:48.340 --> 00:03:51.300
together since then? The film doesn't offer easy
81
00:03:51.300 --> 00:03:53.540
answers, but it shows how these revelations
82
00:03:53.860 --> 00:03:56.420
force everyone to confront their own secrets and
83
00:03:56.420 --> 00:03:57.140
prejudices.
84
00:03:57.990 --> 00:04:00.990
Jessica: And I imagine it must be particularly difficult for the adult
85
00:04:00.990 --> 00:04:03.190
children to watch their parents go through this.
86
00:04:04.320 --> 00:04:06.870
Chris: M well, that's where the story finds its heart,
87
00:04:07.190 --> 00:04:09.990
in how this one discovery forces everyone to re
88
00:04:09.990 --> 00:04:12.830
evaluate their relationships. Even though
89
00:04:12.830 --> 00:04:15.030
Francois's reaction might seem extreme,
90
00:04:15.590 --> 00:04:18.550
maybe this was exactly what this family needed to finally
91
00:04:18.550 --> 00:04:21.430
address all these unspoken tensions and
92
00:04:21.510 --> 00:04:22.150
secrets.
93
00:04:22.950 --> 00:04:25.270
Jessica: So in the end, is it really about the affair
94
00:04:25.880 --> 00:04:27.400
or is it about something deeper?
95
00:04:28.280 --> 00:04:31.200
Chris: You know, I think it's about how we all carry these different versions
96
00:04:31.200 --> 00:04:34.080
of ourselves through life. And sometimes it takes
97
00:04:34.080 --> 00:04:36.960
something dramatic to make us confront them. The affair is
98
00:04:36.960 --> 00:04:39.640
just the catalyst that forces this family to
99
00:04:39.640 --> 00:04:42.040
finally have the conversations they've been avoiding for
100
00:04:42.040 --> 00:04:44.880
decades. In summary, a Riviera
101
00:04:44.880 --> 00:04:47.880
revenge is exuberant, madcapped and enjoyable.
102
00:04:47.880 --> 00:04:50.880
An easy watch, it scores a 7 1/2 out of
103
00:04:50.880 --> 00:04:51.160
10.
104
00:04:51.720 --> 00:04:54.600
Alex: You've been listening to movies first available
105
00:04:54.680 --> 00:04:57.000
at Apple Podcasts, Spotify,
106
00:04:57.700 --> 00:05:00.620
Heart Radio or your favorite podcast player. You
107
00:05:00.620 --> 00:05:03.300
can also stream on demand@bytes.com
108
00:05:03.460 --> 00:05:03.780
this.
109
00:05:03.780 --> 00:05:06.500
Chris: Has been another quality podcast production from
110
00:05:06.500 --> 00:05:07.620
bytes.um com.
0
00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.840
Chris: Marriage secrets have a way of surfacing at the
1
00:00:02.840 --> 00:00:05.680
most unexpected times. Take this
2
00:00:05.680 --> 00:00:08.480
story of a 75 year old former military man
3
00:00:08.880 --> 00:00:11.440
who discovered his wife's decades old affair
4
00:00:11.760 --> 00:00:14.640
while cleaning his attic. It completely
5
00:00:14.640 --> 00:00:17.440
transformed how I think about long term relationships.
6
00:00:17.920 --> 00:00:19.520
Jessica: That's such an intriguing situation.
7
00:00:20.720 --> 00:00:22.400
What exactly did he find up there?
8
00:00:23.360 --> 00:00:26.080
Chris: Well, Francois, this distinguished military
9
00:00:26.080 --> 00:00:28.840
officer, who'd been married to Annie since she was
10
00:00:28.840 --> 00:00:31.720
19, stumbled upon love letters written to
11
00:00:31.720 --> 00:00:34.080
her from one of their close friends, Boris.
12
00:00:34.880 --> 00:00:37.800
These weren't just any old letters. They were
13
00:00:37.800 --> 00:00:40.760
from 10 years into their marriage. And they revealed an
14
00:00:40.760 --> 00:00:43.520
affair he'd never known about. Now,
15
00:00:43.520 --> 00:00:46.160
before we go much further, I need to set the record
16
00:00:46.160 --> 00:00:49.000
straight. Riviera Revenge is a feel
17
00:00:49.000 --> 00:00:51.810
good romantic comedy, believe it or not. Hmm.
18
00:00:51.810 --> 00:00:54.660
Jessica: Um, and this wasn't just a fictional story,
19
00:00:54.660 --> 00:00:57.300
right? There's some real history behind
20
00:00:57.300 --> 00:00:57.700
this?
21
00:00:58.820 --> 00:01:01.660
Chris: That's exactly right. It was inspired by a
22
00:01:01.660 --> 00:01:04.420
true story from Italy where a 92 year old
23
00:01:04.420 --> 00:01:07.340
Sicilian man found similar letters from 70
24
00:01:07.340 --> 00:01:10.340
years earlier and immediately filed for divorce.
25
00:01:10.900 --> 00:01:13.900
The filmmaker, Ivan Kalbarak, adapted it and made
26
00:01:13.900 --> 00:01:16.780
the protagonist younger to create this fascinating
27
00:01:16.780 --> 00:01:18.420
exploration of family dynamics.
28
00:01:19.440 --> 00:01:22.360
Jessica: Well, that certainly puts a new spin on spring cleaning. How
29
00:01:22.360 --> 00:01:24.320
does Francois handle this discovery?
30
00:01:25.360 --> 00:01:27.840
Chris: Oh, he goes absolutely ballistic.
31
00:01:28.400 --> 00:01:30.880
Despite Annie trying to explain it was ancient history,
32
00:01:31.280 --> 00:01:34.200
he actually enlists his old military connections to
33
00:01:34.200 --> 00:01:36.960
track down Boris for a confrontation. But
34
00:01:36.960 --> 00:01:39.880
here's where it gets really interesting. Their three grown
35
00:01:39.880 --> 00:01:42.120
children each represent different challenges to
36
00:01:42.120 --> 00:01:43.840
Francois's rigid worldview.
37
00:01:44.890 --> 00:01:47.850
Jessica: Tell me more about these children. I'm guessing they're not
38
00:01:47.850 --> 00:01:50.410
all exactly what a military father might have hoped for.
39
00:01:51.130 --> 00:01:53.850
Chris: You know, that's putting it mildly. The
40
00:01:53.850 --> 00:01:56.730
eldest, Amori, uh, followed his father's military
41
00:01:56.730 --> 00:01:59.650
path and is expecting his fifth child, though
42
00:01:59.650 --> 00:02:02.450
Francois makes it clear he's hoping for a grandson
43
00:02:02.450 --> 00:02:05.050
after four granddaughters. Then there's
44
00:02:05.050 --> 00:02:07.850
Capyssen, who's been hiding her sexuality since high school.
45
00:02:08.170 --> 00:02:11.070
And Adrian, a professional puppeteer who
46
00:02:11.070 --> 00:02:13.110
shows his father has never once attended.
47
00:02:13.990 --> 00:02:16.590
Jessica: Those family dynamics must create some fascinating
48
00:02:16.590 --> 00:02:18.310
tensions when this scandal erupts.
49
00:02:19.110 --> 00:02:21.750
Chris: Absolutely fascinating. And what's
50
00:02:21.750 --> 00:02:24.750
remarkable is how the filmmaker manages to balance these
51
00:02:24.750 --> 00:02:27.430
serious themes with moments of genuine humor.
52
00:02:27.830 --> 00:02:30.470
The confrontation with Boris is particularly brilliant
53
00:02:30.630 --> 00:02:33.630
because he's completely laid back about the whole thing, which
54
00:02:33.630 --> 00:02:35.510
just drives Francois even crazier.
55
00:02:36.400 --> 00:02:39.280
Jessica: So how does Annie handle being caught between her past and present?
56
00:02:40.160 --> 00:02:42.880
Chris: That's one of the most compelling aspects. She
57
00:02:42.880 --> 00:02:45.600
starts out apologetic, but gradually finds her voice.
58
00:02:46.000 --> 00:02:48.720
As Francois keeps pushing, she starts pushing
59
00:02:48.720 --> 00:02:51.640
back, creating this fascinating power shift in
60
00:02:51.640 --> 00:02:54.440
their relationship. And all of this plays out against
61
00:02:54.440 --> 00:02:56.680
these stunning backdrops of the French
62
00:02:56.680 --> 00:02:57.520
Riviera.
63
00:02:58.080 --> 00:03:00.800
Jessica: The setting almost becomes another character, doesn't it?
64
00:03:01.930 --> 00:03:04.650
Chris: Precisely. These elegant homes and beautiful
65
00:03:04.650 --> 00:03:07.570
gardens create this perfect contrast with
66
00:03:07.570 --> 00:03:10.170
the emotional upheaval happening within them.
67
00:03:10.730 --> 00:03:13.570
It's like watching paradise crack apart at the
68
00:03:13.570 --> 00:03:16.570
seams. And what's particularly interesting is
69
00:03:16.570 --> 00:03:19.290
how each location seems to mirror
70
00:03:19.290 --> 00:03:21.770
different aspects of the family's facade
71
00:03:22.170 --> 00:03:23.530
versus their reality.
72
00:03:24.490 --> 00:03:26.570
Jessica: You know what really strikes me about this story?
73
00:03:27.620 --> 00:03:30.460
It's not just about infidelity. It's about how
74
00:03:30.460 --> 00:03:32.820
time changes our perspective on past events.
75
00:03:33.780 --> 00:03:36.340
Chris: That's exactly it. It raises these
76
00:03:36.340 --> 00:03:39.140
fascinating questions about forgiveness and
77
00:03:39.300 --> 00:03:42.140
time. Like does a decades
78
00:03:42.140 --> 00:03:44.980
old betrayal carry the same weight as a recent one?
79
00:03:45.460 --> 00:03:48.340
And how do you measure that against the life you've built
80
00:03:48.340 --> 00:03:51.300
together since then? The film doesn't offer easy
81
00:03:51.300 --> 00:03:53.540
answers, but it shows how these revelations
82
00:03:53.860 --> 00:03:56.420
force everyone to confront their own secrets and
83
00:03:56.420 --> 00:03:57.140
prejudices.
84
00:03:57.990 --> 00:04:00.990
Jessica: And I imagine it must be particularly difficult for the adult
85
00:04:00.990 --> 00:04:03.190
children to watch their parents go through this.
86
00:04:04.320 --> 00:04:06.870
Chris: M well, that's where the story finds its heart,
87
00:04:07.190 --> 00:04:09.990
in how this one discovery forces everyone to re
88
00:04:09.990 --> 00:04:12.830
evaluate their relationships. Even though
89
00:04:12.830 --> 00:04:15.030
Francois's reaction might seem extreme,
90
00:04:15.590 --> 00:04:18.550
maybe this was exactly what this family needed to finally
91
00:04:18.550 --> 00:04:21.430
address all these unspoken tensions and
92
00:04:21.510 --> 00:04:22.150
secrets.
93
00:04:22.950 --> 00:04:25.270
Jessica: So in the end, is it really about the affair
94
00:04:25.880 --> 00:04:27.400
or is it about something deeper?
95
00:04:28.280 --> 00:04:31.200
Chris: You know, I think it's about how we all carry these different versions
96
00:04:31.200 --> 00:04:34.080
of ourselves through life. And sometimes it takes
97
00:04:34.080 --> 00:04:36.960
something dramatic to make us confront them. The affair is
98
00:04:36.960 --> 00:04:39.640
just the catalyst that forces this family to
99
00:04:39.640 --> 00:04:42.040
finally have the conversations they've been avoiding for
100
00:04:42.040 --> 00:04:44.880
decades. In summary, a Riviera
101
00:04:44.880 --> 00:04:47.880
revenge is exuberant, madcapped and enjoyable.
102
00:04:47.880 --> 00:04:50.880
An easy watch, it scores a 7 1/2 out of
103
00:04:50.880 --> 00:04:51.160
10.
104
00:04:51.720 --> 00:04:54.600
Alex: You've been listening to movies first available
105
00:04:54.680 --> 00:04:57.000
at Apple Podcasts, Spotify,
106
00:04:57.700 --> 00:05:00.620
Heart Radio or your favorite podcast player. You
107
00:05:00.620 --> 00:05:03.300
can also stream on demand@bytes.com
108
00:05:03.460 --> 00:05:03.780
this.
109
00:05:03.780 --> 00:05:06.500
Chris: Has been another quality podcast production from
110
00:05:06.500 --> 00:05:07.620
bytes.um com.
