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A CHRISTMAS TALE Send This Review to a Friend
We’re on dysfunctional family territory with “A Christmas Tale,” director Arnaud Desplechin’s story of a coming together of various family strands with all hell breaking loose at holiday time. In this sprawling drama, showcased at the 2008 New York Film Festival, deep-rooted problems surface, including the need for a bone marrow donor in the face of a case of leukemia, an illness that earlier claimed a child of Junon (Catherine Deneuve) an Abel (Jean-Paul Roussillon). Now Junon is at risk.
One of the showiest roles, that of Henri, is played by the charismatic Mathieu Amalric. Henri has been banished from the family, but now reappears. All of the complications that ensue are too many to go into, but a large, good cast and sharp writing and direction make this a compelling family drama, although the screenplay by Desplechin and Emmanuel Bourdieu could use some tightening.
There is almost too much tossed into the stew, but the mix is colorful, a blend of varied characters and emotions, and secrets of the past that surface. The family is French, but the situations and entanglements can be taken as universal. One special plus—it is always fascinating to see Deneuve. She has matured with her beauty still striking, and her acting continues on a high level.
Others in the impressive cast include Anne Consigny, Melvil Poupaud, Hippolyte Girardot, Emmanuelle Devos, Chiara Mastroianni, Émile Berling and Laurent Capelluto. “A Christmas Tale” is an ideal film to see at holiday time as an antidote to the sort of mush that comes from Hollywood. The approach here is to expose an extended family with all of its joys and anguish. An IFC Films release.
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