Writer/director Rebecca Zlotowski wanted to adapt "Your Ticket Is No Longer Valid" from novelist Romain Gary to the screen, envisioning Roschdy Zem in the lead role. The story is about a business man whose power is failing him, in his business, his sexuality, his marriage, and Zlotowski ended up seeing herself in it, as a childless 40-year-old woman but step-mother to her partner's children. So she set up to make a movie about the step-mothers, which are usually depicted as either evil in dramas or comically overwhelmed in comedies. Coincidentally, during pre-production, she got pregnant, and gave birth to her first child after the end of post-production.
The story is inspired by the writer-director's own life experience.
Anne Berest who plays Jeanne is a novelist while the gynecologist is portrayed by Frederick Wiseman, the famous documentary filmmaker.
French visa # 154407.