Un conte de Noël (2008)

User Rating:

7.5/10   

Director:

Arnaud Desplechin

Writers:

Arnaud Desplechin (scenario and dialogue) &
Emmanuel Bourdieu (scenario and dialogue)

Release Date:

21 May 2008 (France)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Plot:

The Vuillard's shared history of physical and mental illness, estrangement, self harm, and loss doesn't lead itself to the idea of a cheerful holiday season. But can a Christmastime reunion, a scheme concocted by three of the youngest family members, finally bring peace their clan? |

Plot Keywords:

Schizophrenia | France | Family Relationships | Alcoholic | Bone Marrow Transplant

Awards:

2 wins & 14 nominations

Cast

Catherine Deneuve	...	Junon
Jean-Paul Roussillon	...	Abel, Junon's husband
Anne Consigny	...	Elizabeth, their oldest child
Mathieu Amalric	...	Henri, their middle child
Melvil Poupaud	...	Ivan, their youngest child
Hippolyte Girardot	...	Claude, Elizabeth's husband
Emmanuelle Devos	...	Faunia, Henri's lover
Chiara Mastroianni	...	Sylvia, Ivan's wife
Laurent Capelluto	...	Simon, Junon's nephew, the painter cousin
Emile Berling	...	Paull, Elizabeth and Claude's son
Thomas Obled	...	Basile, Ivan and Sylvia's son
Clément Obled	...	Baptiste, Ivan and Sylvia's son
Françoise Bertin	...	Rosaimée, Abel's mother's girlfriend
Samir Guesmi	...	Spatafora, the family friend at Roubaix
Azize Kabouche	...	Doctor Zraïdi, the oncologist

Also Known As:

A Christmas Tale (International: English title) (UK) (USA)

Runtime:

France:150 min | USA:150 min | Argentina:150 min

Country:

France

Language:

French

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:Not Rated | USA:Unrated | UK:15 | Sweden:7 | Netherlands:12 | Argentina:13 | Portugal:M/12

Filming Locations:

Roubaix, Nord, France

Company:

Why Not Productions

Movie Connections:

Features The Ten Commandments (1956)

A loving film about some unlovable people

It just doesn't get much better than this for fans of movie-making…or fans of music, art, literature, philosophy…even algebra? Arnaud Desplechin uses Robert Altman's impressionistic approach to film-making taking multiple characters, plots lines then adding Altman's playfulness with cinematic technique to dazzle the viewer with a rich mix of ideas and allusions. Watching, you just don't want it to end.

The actors here—as in Altman—take center stage. Catherine Deneuve is the reluctant matriarch of some pretty messed-up siblings. We aren't ever clued in on the exact details of the rifts and jealousies. We just recognize them from our own family experiences. During an introduction to the cast of characters at the beginning of the film, the death of a young infant early in the family's history suggests that interpersonal problems will result, but it can't be the sole reason for the pathologies represented. As in life, it's never a simple thing to find the "reason" for conflict, unhappiness or even joy. We simply have to accept it and make the best of the situations before us. And this film is a wonderful demonstration of making the best of a real mess.

There's not a weak link in the cast. And as the bizarre begin to assemble for a very strange Christmas homecoming the delight we feel for being onlookers instead of participants is palpable in the audience.

I should warn that this is not a film in the tradition of "Home Alone" or "A Christmas Story." You may wait a long time for the Baby Jesus to arrive here (as the children on the screen do). It's more a film about family life and the peculiar kind of fulfillment we get from the strife that results. As with the "ghost wolf" in this family's basement, we're haunted by the familiar and the strange: it's both fearful and thrilling to see. And that's a very admirable accomplishment for Arnaud Desplechin.