La Vie à l'Envers on AllMovie

Life Upside Down was a French production (originally titled La Vie a l'Envers) which sneaked quietly into American art-movie houses and was greeted effusively by the critics. Charles Denner stars as a misfit who finds his dream world more preferable than the real world. As the film progresses, Denner retreats farther and farther into himself, until those around him, including his fiancee, are completely shut out. He locks himself in his barren apartment, sitting silently on the floor for hours. The final image is of an institutionalized Denner chuckling to himself that he's "won". While Life Upside Down became a critics' darling, it tended to bemuse general audiences who weren't certain if they were supposed to be laughing or weeping.