I like the concept of ‘the first day of the rest of your life’ as presented in this film. It’s not today, as the phrase is often used (you know, “today is the first day of the rest of your life”). It’s a day where your life changes direction. And it’s not something like a wedding day, or the day your child was born, or the day you met your life partner, because all these days are somewhat planned or anticipated to a degree.

No, it’s a day where something happens out of the blue, unexpectedly, that changes the course of your life. It seems to be usually some sort of tragic or bad news event, but where something positive comes out as a result. It could be a bad accident, or a serious medical diagnosis. It could be the day you meet someone unexpected who changes the way you relate to people and life, good or bad. It could be the day someone important to you dies. You get the idea.

This beautiful film revolves around a family of five, and their individual FDOTROYLs, which happen over the course of about 12 years. Most of the characters are slightly unlikeable, so it’s even more credit to the film-makers to evoke such sympathy and connectedness from the audience.

This is one of those movies that touches the soul in unexpected ways. I highly recommend to you one of my favourite films of 2010 (and then afterwards, you can ponder on your own FDOTROYL).