My doctoral research explores the effects of family trauma as presented in French contemporary theater, situating three plays written by Xavier Durringer, Jean-Luc Lagarce and Marie Ndiaye within the context of Lauren Berlant’s theory of Cruel Optimism. While Berlant points to a universal series of obstacles as proof of the current inability to achieve “the good life” through “lively, durable intimacy”, Durringer, Lagarce and Ndiaye depict a way through these obstacles as a means of initiation and agency, demonstrating an optimistic trend in French theater.