Three women who initially share little beyond alcoholism meet in a rehabilitation clinic. Their unlikely next step is entering a desert rally in Morocco. Better Days turns that idea into a mixture of social drama and adventure, carrying considerable emotional baggage along with the tools and fuel. The combination sometimes feels contrived, but it also gives the film a distinctive energy.
The grounded treatment of addiction is its first strength. Shame, relapse, damaged family relationships and social decline are shown directly without sensationalism. The clinic scenes are particularly convincing: quiet, intense and sparing with explanations. The film trusts what we can see rather than continually spelling out its seriousness.
Valérie Bonneton gives Suzanne both hardness and vulnerability. Michèle Laroque balances anger with dignity as Diane, while Sabrina Ouazani supplies emotional energy as Alice. I believe these women and their wish to change, even when the world around them seems to have stopped expecting much from them.
The leap to Morocco is initially a substantial stretch. Yet the film finds something valuable there. The desert imagery is strong, the relationships alter under pressure, and hope develops as a fragile impulse rather than a simple feel-good answer. The physical journey gives their attempts at recovery another shape.
Some conflicts resolve too quickly, and certain emotional turns feel more prescribed by the screenplay than developed through the characters. The broader social reasons for dependency are also treated lightly. Family, poverty, violence and unemployment are touched on rather than explored, leaving an opportunity for deeper examination unused.
I nevertheless enjoyed this warm, well-performed film. It has humour and memorable people without turning recovery into a sugary slogan. I give it 7 out of 10 points. It does not fulfil every promise, but the unusual meeting of rehabilitation and road trip produces enough honest feeling to make its imperfections forgivable.