Proud (Fiertés, 2018) is a powerful three-part French mini-series created by Philippe Faucon that explores the evolution of LGBTQ+ rights and identity in France across three decades—through one family’s deeply personal lens. Quiet, moving, and elegantly told, it offers both a historical and emotional journey, chronicling the life of Charles (Samuel Theis and later Frédéric Pierrot), a gay man coming of age in a society just beginning to reckon with acceptance.
Each episode of Proud is set in a different era—1981, 1999, and 2013—marking key moments in French LGBTQ+ history: the decriminalization of homosexuality, the fight for civil unions, and the legalization of same-sex marriage. But rather than simply staging political milestones, the series grounds these events in the intimate struggles of Charles, his son Victor, and their extended family.
In the first episode, we witness Charles as a closeted young man working in construction, who falls in love with his openly gay co-worker, Victor. Their love is tender but complicated by Charles’s fear of exposure—especially to his conservative father. The second episode jumps forward to 1999: Charles is now a father, raising a teenage son (named Victor after his first love) with his former partner Sabine. His attempt to balance fatherhood, activism, and past regrets is heart-wrenching. The final episode, set in 2013, focuses on Victor as a young adult, navigating his own identity and relationships in a world that is, at last, beginning to change.
One of the series’ greatest strengths is its restraint. There’s no melodrama, no grand speeches—just human moments: glances, silences, mistakes, healing. It’s a quiet revolution of empathy. The generational dynamics are especially moving; Proud understands that social change is slow, painful, and deeply personal. The performances—especially by Pierrot and Benjamin Voisin (young adult Victor)—are understated but emotionally resonant.
The cinematography and tone are naturalistic, almost documentary-like, which makes the emotional impact feel authentic. Proud is not just a coming-out story; it’s a story about how one’s identity ripples through families, politics, and time. It’s about progress—not just politically, but emotionally, generationally, and interpersonally.
In a fictional sequel set in 2028, Proud: The Next Chapter could follow Victor in his 30s, now an LGBTQ+ educator and activist facing a different kind of challenge—raising a child with his partner through adoption or surrogacy. As he navigates new territory—fatherhood, aging parents, and the digital-era challenges of identity—he must revisit his past and reconnect with Charles, now elderly and reflective.
The story could parallel a new generation coming out in a supposedly “post-equality” world, dealing less with legal barriers and more with emotional legacies: internalized shame, fractured families, and the question of how to raise children proud of who they are—and who their parents were.
Rather than closing the book on the Proud trilogy, this imagined chapter would extend its core message: that pride isn’t static—it grows, evolves, and is handed down like a gift from one generation to the next.
