Take a Chance on Me

Marie-Line, a starry-eyed 20-year-old, didn't get the chance to go to university. She scrapes by with odd jobs and lives with her agoraphobe father. She meets Alexandre, a brilliant student with the gift of gab and a passion for cinema, and is instantly smitten. For her, he is a gateway to another culture and world. But when Alexandre gets embarrassed by Marie-Line, who's never even heard of François Truffaut, he cruelly ghosts her. One day, Alexandre appears in the café where Marie-Line works, unsettling her to the point that she spills her tray onto a cantankerous judge, ultimately leading to her getting the boot. Before seeking an explanation for Alexandre's silence, Marie-Line has to navigate the unpleasant surprise of being in front of the judge from the café, who sentences her to a hefty fine. Unable to pay, she stalks the judge and begs for help. Seeing her tenacity, he offers her a job as his chauffeur to reimburse her fine, beginning an unlikely cohabitation between a misanthropic judge and a joyful young woman. As the two learn more about each other, they develop somewhat of a friendship and a curiosity for one another despite being polar opposites. He admonishes Marie-Line for not fighting against the hand life has dealt her while she tries to defend herself. But little by little, the judge's words sink in. She, too, sees a different side to him when he gives a second chance to a repeat offender who's just had a baby. She runs into Evelyne, the judge's girlfriend whom he met in court when she was on trial. Learning about the judge's true feelings for Evelyne and the trauma involving his late wife, Marie-Line steps in because even a misanthropic judge deserves a happy ending.