Thirteen-year-old Vincent stands in front of the mirror. After failing to style his bangs with hairspray he stole from his older brother, he ends up plastering them down with water before heading to school. He has just one goal: to look cool in front of Marion. With this trivial morning commotion, audiences are instantly transported to the Parisian suburbs of 1985. Eric Toledano and Olivier Nakache, the masters of French comedy who made history with The Intouchables (2011), impeccably recreate the era’s furniture, costumes, tactile textures of vinyl records, and music. Caught between an unemployed father (Louis Garrel), a mother steadily climbing the corporate ladder (Camille Cottin), and an older brother devoted to the new wave band The Cure, Vincent scrambles to protect his first love. While reviving the refreshing charm and humor of La Boum, the directors do not forget that this era was a time of profound social upheaval. No one was safe from the threat of unemployment, women were finally breaking into key positions, and racism was seeping into the political landscape. In front of anxious and conservative adults, Vincent and Marion sing the next generation’s hope, striving to love each other across racial and religious divides. Armed with humor rivaling Reply 1988, Just an Illusion is both a comedy and an affectionate, lovely journey through time where laughter, tears, nostalgia, and the present exquisitely overlap. (SEO Seunghee)