Waiting for Bojangles (film)

Waiting for Bojangles is a 2021 French romantic drama film directed by Régis Roinsard, based on the 2016 novel of the same name by Olivier Bourdeaut. The film stars Romain Duris, Virginie Efira, and Grégory Gadebois. It tells the story of a passionate and eccentric couple, Georges and Camille, and their son Gary, as they navigate the joys and challenges of their unconventional life, which is increasingly impacted by Camille's mental health struggles.

The narrative focuses on the family's vibrant lifestyle, filled with extravagant parties and whimsical adventures, juxtaposed with the underlying reality of Camille's bipolar disorder, which manifests in periods of mania and depression. As Camille's condition worsens, Georges does everything he can to shield Gary from the severity of her illness and to maintain a semblance of normalcy within their increasingly chaotic world.

The film explores themes of love, family, mental illness, and the lengths to which one will go to protect those they cherish. It premiered at the Warsaw Film Festival in October 2021 and was released in France in January 2022. It received generally positive reviews, with praise for the performances of Duris and Efira, and the film's visual style. However, some critics found the film's adaptation of the novel to be uneven in its portrayal of mental illness.