What Is My Life Is Hell About?
The premise of My Life Is Hell in 331 words, with nothing given away. The full story follows below.
In a drab, almost claustrophobic slice of contemporary city life, Leah Lemonnier drifts through a routine that feels more punitive than productive. Her days are punctuated by a demanding dentist, a cold‑hearted analyst, a neighbor whose perversities border on the absurd, and a mother whose selfish cravings dominate the household. The film paints these relationships in muted tones, so that even the most ordinary moments pulse with an undercurrent of unease, hinting that something far darker lies just beyond the surface of her mundane existence.
A chance utterance summons a strikingly handsome stranger who reveals himself as the demon Abargadon. He offers Leah a bargain that seems as simple as it is terrifying: his service for the remainder of her life in exchange for her soul. The pact instantly drags her into a hidden celestial ledger, marking her as a target on Heaven’s agenda. The tone shifts here, blending sly, seductive allure with a foreboding mythic weight, as the ordinary world suddenly feels like a stage for timeless power struggles.
Enter the Archangel Gabriel, whose solemn intervention turns the contract into a battlefield of wills. Rather than crushing Leah beneath divine wrath, Gabriel proposes a precarious compromise that leaves the demon bounded and the human caught between two realms. It is in this uneasy truce that Leah’s self‑consciousness begins to crack, revealing an unexpected, almost magnetic fascination with the very being she was meant to reject. Her desire to reach the humanity hidden within the demon becomes the film’s central tension, posing a bold question: can love—or at least a desperate longing for redemption—alter the fate of a soul already bound to darkness?
The atmosphere remains a dark fable, steeped in moral ambiguity and a lingering sense of both dread and dry humor. By juxtaposing Leah’s bleak daily grind with the lofty, otherworldly conflict overhead, the story invites viewers to wonder how far a lonely heart will go when the line between redemption and temptation blurs into a single, smoky breath.
What Happens in My Life Is Hell?
The complete story of My Life Is Hell, from the first scene to the last, in 483 words (about 2 minutes). Spoilers throughout. Names in the text link to 3 cast member pages.
Spoilers ahead
Leah Lemonnier, Josiane Balasko, a 35-year-old secretary, leads a dreary and depressing life split between a dentist who spends his days reprimanding her, a harsh analyst who treats her as little more than a source of income, a neighbor named Mr. Chpil who is a sexually obsessed party animal, and a mother who is a nymphomaniac, selfish, greedy, narcissistic and contemptuous figure. But one day she unwittingly invokes the devil, a striking force with the face of a handsome stranger, Abargadon, Daniel Auteuil. He offers a stark deal: he will be at her service until her death in exchange for her soul.
Leah signs the pact and becomes a dream-like figure capable of seduction, using her new powers to try and charm her shrink. The pact is not allowed to stand for long, though, as the archangel Gabriel, moved by Leah’s naivety, steps in and tells Abargadon that he has the wrong prey—Leah’s mother—and rescinds the agreement, stripping Abargadon of his power. The intervention is decisive, yet it does not erase Leah’s growing fascination with Abargadon, and she begins to see something redeemable in him and to fight for his soul. Gabriel, Michael Lonsdale, cautions that salvation must come through restraint and time, not through a simple reversal of power.
Leah pleads for mercy and a second chance, and Gabriel agrees to a fragile compromise: Abargadon, now bound to behave, may remain mortal if he can refrain from sin for a period of several weeks. With that precarious permission, Leah and Abargadon move into a rough, dimly lit hotel, where the boundaries between desire and danger blur beneath flickering signs and smoky ceilings. A hotel fire tests their fragile truce; Abargadon saves a child, while Leah is nearly crushed by smoke. In a dramatic turn, Abargadon saves her with a blood transfusion, an act that convinces Gabriel to grant him humanity, letting the devil-turned-being step into the world as a real person.
Months pass, and Leah, now something of a demon cast in the guise of corporate power, rises to the helm of a pharmaceutical company. She encounters Abargadon again, this time mortal, as he robs the business to steal patents. She offers him a contract—an arrangement built on the memory of their complicated past—where a long life of carnal love could be secured in exchange for his soul. Using what he already knows and the stretched patience of a newly human life, he negotiates a favorable deal, trading a future of unending love for a tenuous hold on his soul.
This tale unfolds like a dark fable about power, temptation, and the possibility of redemption, where desire and consequence intertwine in a world that blends the uncanny with the everyday. The result is a strange, morally charged romance that stays true to its mythic premise while expanding the emotional stakes through Leah’s loneliness, Abargadon’s struggle for humanity, and the archangel’s guarded mercy.
My Life Is Hell Timeline: Every Key Event in Order
13 key events in the order they happen, from “Leah's dreary life begins” to “A new contract: love versus soul”. 13 events name a place, across 11 locations.
- 1
Leah's dreary life begins
Leah Lemonnier leads a dreary life, trapped between a resentful dentist’s secretary desk, an exploitative analyst, a loud neighbor, and a selfish, judgmental mother. Her days feel monotonous and lonely, with little hope for change. The constant pressure makes her vulnerable to something extraordinary.
When:Present day Where:Leah's city apartment
- 2
The devil appears after she invokes him
She unwittingly invokes a devil who appears with the face of Abar. The encounter is surreal and unsettling, setting the terms for a dangerous bargain. He presents himself as a servant at her disposal until her death in exchange for her soul.
When:Night (after invocation) Where:Leah's home
- 3
The deal is sealed
Abar offers a pact: he will be at Leah's service until her death in exchange for her soul. Leah signs the pact, stepping into a dangerous arrangement that could doom her. The terms loom over her life as she contemplates the consequences.
When:Soon after invocation Where:Leah's home
- 4
Leah seduces her analyst in demon form
Utilizing her new demonic power, Leah turns into a dream creature to seduce her psychiatrist. Her seduction is a surreal demonstration of how the pact fuels her fantasy life. The act tests the boundaries of consent, power, and control.
When:Soon after the pact Where:Psychiatrist's office (and Leah's dreamscape)
- 5
Gabriel intervenes and cancels the pact
Archangel Gabriel intervenes, frustrated by the miscast target and cancels the agreement. He strips Abar of his power, declaring Leah was not the intended prey. The pact is void, but its consequences linger in Leah and Abar's relationship.
When:Immediately after the seduction Where:Divine realm
- 6
Leah grows attached to Abar and seeks to save his soul
Despite the cancellation, Leah finds Abar strangely attractive and becomes determined to save his soul. She questions the ruin of their bargain and imagines a second chance for him. Her motive shifts from vengeance to redemption, complicating their bond.
When:Following Gabriel's intervention Where:Various locations around their life together
- 7
Abar's test: no sin for weeks
Leah pleads with Gabriel to spare Abar's fate, and the archangel agrees only if Abar commits no sin for several weeks. This grant imposes a strict moral trial on a demon-turned-partner. They must navigate temptation while keeping faith in a fragile truce.
When:Weeks after cancellation Where:Private
- 8
The seedy hotel life
Leah and Abar move into a seedy hotel, starting an uneasy domestic existence. The setting underscores the tension between Leah’s humanity and Abar’s otherworldly nature. Their isolation foreshadows the dangers of their bond.
When:A few weeks after pact cancellation Where:Seedy hotel
- 9
The hotel fire and a life-saving choice
A catastrophic fire erupts in the hotel, throwing them into chaos. Abar saves a child from the blaze, while Leah is overcome by smoke and poison. In a bold act, Abar transfuses Leah's blood to save her life.
When:During the fire Where:Hotel
- 10
Gabriel restores Abar's humanity
Gabriel judges the life-saving act sufficient to redeem Abar, granting him humanity. He revokes Abar's demonic status and makes him mortal. Leah's fate becomes intertwined with Abar’s newly human existence.
When:Immediately after the rescue Where:Divine realm
Show the other 3 events of My Life Is Hell Hide the last 3 events
- 11
Months later Leah rules a pharmaceutical empire
Months pass and Leah has transformed into a demon-empowered head of a pharmaceutical company. Her rise marks a radical shift from despair to corporate power and ambition. The company becomes the arena for new temptations and conflict.
When:Months later Where:Pharmaceutical company's headquarters
- 12
Abar robs the business to steal patents
Leah encounters Abar as he robs the business to steal patents. The encounter pits old loyalties against new temptations, testing Leah’s resolve and emotions. It signals a shift from rescue to competition and temptation.
When:Present Where:Corporate offices
- 13
A new contract: love versus soul
Leah offers Abar a contract, trading his soul for a long life of carnal love. Abar, now mortal and shrewd, negotiates favorable terms using his inside knowledge of the company. The arrangement binds them in a perilous and intimate future.
When:Shortly after the theft Where:Boardroom
Who Are the Main Characters in My Life Is Hell?
4 characters, among them Leah Lemonnier (Josiane Balasko), Abargadon (Daniel Auteuil) and Gabriel (Michael Lonsdale): who each one is and the part they play in the story. Every profile links to the actor’s page.
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Leah Lemonnier (Josiane Balasko)
Played by Josiane Balasko
A 35-year-old secretary trapped in a dreary routine, juggling a reprimanding dentist, a money-minded analyst, a troublesome neighbor, and a demanding mother. She unwittingly summons a devil and signs a pact that sets off a chain of supernatural and moral consequences. Her arc moves from vulnerability to bold transformation as she negotiates for love and redemption, ending with a leadership role in a pharmaceutical world.
- 💃 Vulnerable
- 🎭 Complex
- 💡 Transformation
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Abargadon (Daniel Auteuil)
Played by Daniel Auteuil
The handsome devil who offers Leah a life-for-soul bargain. He seduces and manipulates, wields charm and danger in equal measure, and is ultimately challenged by celestial intervention. His journey shifts from a fearsome supernatural entity to a mortal being capable of desire and partnership, dependent on Leah's decisions.
- 😈 Dangerous
- 🧭 Cunning
- 🌟 Charismatic
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Gabriel (Michael Lonsdale)
Played by Michael Lonsdale
The archangel moved by Leah's naivety who interrupts the pact, declaring that the wrong prey was chosen and stripping Abargadon of power. He enforces a temporary truce and restoration of balance, setting the terms under which Leah might redeem a soul. He later witnesses the consequences of human compassion on the supernatural bargain.
- 😇 Benevolent
- 🕊️ Archangel
- FL
Flo Lemonier (Catherine Samie)
Played by Catherine Samie
Leah's mother: a narcissistic, selfish, and contemptuous presence who embodies part of Leah's oppressive family dynamic. The archangel notes that Leah's target was originally her mother, adding a layer of familial motive to the tale. Flo's influence underscores the themes of manipulation and the longing for approval within a troubled maternal relationship.
- 😡 Controlling
- 💰 Greedy
- 🎭 Manipulative
Where and When Is My Life Is Hell Set?
My Life Is Hell is set in Dentist's office, Leah's home, analyst's office, seedy hotel and pharmaceutical…. Here is why the place matters to the story.
Where
Dentist's office, Leah's home, analyst's office, seedy hotel, pharmaceutical company
The story unfolds in a metropolitan setting, moving between the sterile halls of a dentist's office, the quiet room of Leah's analyst, and the dingy interior of a seedy hotel where she and Abargadon cross paths. It also follows Leah at home with her mother Flo Lemonier, and later the opulent corridors of a pharmaceutical company where power and deals take center stage.
- 🏙️ Urban
- 🕯️ Introspective
What Are the Themes of My Life Is Hell?
3 ideas the story keeps returning to, among them Temptation, Power and Love and Redemption.
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01
Temptation
A pact with a devilish figure initiates the conflict, testing Leah's vulnerability and desire to escape her dreary life. The seductive Abargadon embodies the allure of easy power and forbidden choices. The intervention of the archangel Gabriel introduces a moral counterforce, aiming to correct the wrong prey and restore balance.
-
02
Power
Leah's transformation from secretary to a figure of influence showcases how ambition can distort ethics and identity. Her ascent culminates in control of a pharmaceutical company, where deals and life as currency reveal the cost of power. Abargadon leverages knowledge and leverage in a high-stakes negotiation to extend his life, illustrating the corrupting pull of opportunity.
-
03
Love and Redemption
Leah's growing feelings for Abargadon complicate the supernatural bargain, steering her toward compassion rather than mere self-preservation. The archangel's conditions tie moral restraint to salvation, blending romance with a moral reckoning. When Abargadon becomes mortal, their relationship becomes a test of loyalty, sacrifice, and the possibility of redemption through love.
What Kind of Film Is My Life Is Hell?
Dark in tone, with steady pacing and a moderate story, going by the plot summary.
- Tone
- Dark
- Pacing
- Steady
- Story
- Moderate
- Intensity
- Medium
- Ending
- Bittersweet
A darkly humorous and dreamlike romance that explores a celestial tug-of-war for a soul, blending moral seriousness with quirky characters and a sensual, melancholic atmosphere.
- darkly humorous
- dreamlike
- sensual
- melancholic
- morally ambiguous
- romantic
- faustian bargain
- redemption
- celestial conflict
- loneliness
Content notes: sexual content.
Quiz
How well do you remember My Life Is Hell? Test yourself on the story.
