Cycle of Time

Original Title: C'était mieux demain

Completed in: 2025

Synopsis:

In 1950s France, Helene and Michel lead a simple, predictable life. Helene, a cheerful stay-at-home mom, and Michel, the proud head of the family, are content—until a freak accident with a new washing machine propels them into 2025. Now, Helene is a powerful bank executive, while Michel struggles with unemployment and depression. As their children grow up in a world dominated by technology, their marriage and world are turned upside down. Can they adapt to this new reality?

Director’s biography:

Vinciane Millereau trained as an actress at Cours Florent and ENSATT in the early 1990s. She has appeared in many films and TV series, including Benedetta (2021), Respire (2014) and Sales gosses (2017), and has also performed on stage in plays by Stanisław Wyspiański, Rainer Werner Fassbinder and Bernard-Marie Koltès. A prominent voice-over artist, she has been the on-air voice of France 5 since 2002. She directed the short film Barbie Girls (2009) and her first feature film, Cycle of Time (2025).

Production company:

For nearly 30 years, UGC has been producing films for the big screen, alternating between established directors and emerging talents, covering every genre, while always maintaining a strong preference for popular comedies. Artistic visions brought to life by Philippe Claudel, Jean-Pierre Jeunet, Claude Miller, Guillaume Nicloux, and Michel Blanc have been supported by UGC, delivering high-quality, thought-provoking cinema to audiences. The success of our franchises — Philippe de Chauveron’s What Have We Done to God?, PEF’s The Teachers, and the adventures of Ducobu —loudly and proudly fly the flag for family and mainstream cinema. Today, UGC fosters a vision of cinema based on three pillars:
– Captivating audiences with popular works that are rooted in their time and stand the test of time
– Producing all genres of cinema, catering to all tastes and all cinema audiences
– Supporting talent in realizing their vision to create unique, tailor-made cinematic works. UGC is a member of Ecoprod, which has more than 450 member organizations — all signatories of the Ecoprod Charter.
Joining this community of professionals underscores our commitment to the ecological transition of the film and audiovisual sectors. Together, we are helping to develop tools and resources tailored to our needs.

IP Holder: Studio TF1

STUDIO TF1 owns one of the largest film rights catalogs in France and internationally, with over 800 titles, including major works such as The Piano, the Almodóvar collection, as well as masterpieces of French cinema like And God Created Woman and That Man from Rio. It also houses recent box-office hits such as Alibi.com, Nous Les Leroy, and Open Season.