THE main characters in this film, Isa (Boucher) and Marie (Regnier) are fair representations of the traditional anti-heroes of the picaresque novel. From the lower social classes, their trademark of existence is cunning, craftiness and the ingenious con job; they ignore the codes of honour and ethics which the higher classes adhere to, and their greatest possession is their freedom. However, while picaresque novels were highly moral, this tale is presented as just that: a tale, which happens to cover a particular amount of time in these people's lives, but without necessarily leading to any great revelation or judgement about how these lives should be lived.

Isa, living a hand-to-mouth existence on her wits and her smile, hooks up with Marie, who is looking after a flat for two car accident victims she doesn't know, a mother and a daughter. In between running around town, finding temporary jobs and making friends with a couple of nightclub bouncers, Isa, moved by the poetic entries that the girl, Sandrine, has made in her diary, takes the time to visit the hospital, where she finds that the mother died shortly after the accident and Sandrine is in a coma from which it is unlikely she will recover. Isa, who despite being an opportunist comes across as very innocent, makes a point of developing this one-sided relationship, while Marie, always a darker character, becomes steadily more disappointed in her doomed search for love and happiness.

La vie rêvée is about continuity and change, where change is shown as only possible in a restricted context. Class barriers are very much in evidence, and this is no Cinderella fairy story; everybody stays exactly where they started. While there can be ups and downs for all the characters, the moral of their story, if it can be called a moral, is that change is ephemeral, and ultimately, if you are going nowhere, then that is the most likely place you will end up. The characterisations are wonderful (the two actresses shared the Best Actress prize at Cannes) and the story is entertaining and moving. The most refreshing aspect of the film is that it comes across as pure narrative, without recourse to any overtly contrived stylistic devices, something which eminently suits the message it is trying to convey. Its simplicity nonetheless leaves plenty of food for thought.