new release

France  | 2008 | col | 150 mins | dir. Arnaud Desplechin, with Catherine Deneuve, Mathieu Amalric, Melvil Poupaud, Chiara Mastroianni, Anne Consigny, Emmanuelle Devos, Jean-Paul Roussillon, Hippolyte Girardot | cert. 15

Director Arnaud Desplechin (La Sentinelle, My Sex Life... Or How I Got into an Argument, Kings and Queen) has demonstrated a knack for working with ensemble narratives. His latest is set over the Christmas holidays, when three generations of the Vuillard family gather at their home for what may be the last time. The family matriarch, Junon (played with witty cool by Catherine Deneuve), has been diagnosed with cancer and needs a bone marrow transplant. But which of the family might provide a suitable and willing donor? Jean-Paul Roussillon is her wise, tender husband; Melvil Poupaud is the vulnerable younger son married with young kids to Chiara Mastroianni. Desplechin regular Mathieu Amalric is the hard-drinking black sheep, banished from the family by his imperious sister (Anne Consigny), who arrives with his bemused Jewish girlfriend (Emmanuelle Devos) in tow. It’s hard to miss with such a cast, but A Christmas Tale is much more than a good ensemble piece. Mixing and matching black humour, psychological anguish and philosophical speculation, Desplechin has created a world both entertaining and unpredictable where unrequited love collides with bitter resentment, nostalgic longing crosses paths with abject fear, and pure hatred gives way to vivacious affection.

New Release - Screening times