A Christmas Tale

One of the standout hits of the Cannes, Toronto, and New York Film Festivals, A CHRISTMAS TALE is Arnaud Desplechin's (KINGS AND QUEEN) dazzling, big-hearted and brilliantly black comedy. In the role that garnered her the Special Prize at Cannes, Catherine Deneuve us Junon, the family matriarch, who greets the news of her life-threatening illness with calm equanimity. Desplechin regular Mathieu Amalric gives one of the best performances of the year as the black sheep of the family who returns home after being banished for 6 years with his bemused Jewish girlfriend (Emmanuel Devos) in tow. Crowded under the same roof again, solidarity quickly - and hilariously - devolves into feuding, drunkenness and bed-hopping, as everyone struggles to make sense of the mysteries of family, life, and what lies ahead. Desplechin's masterful narrative has the breadth of a sprawling novel and the nimble wordplay of a classic comedy, while packing the full sensory wallop of pure cinema.

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  Catherine Deneuve

  Junon

   

  Mathieu Amalric

  Henri

   

  Melvil Poupaud

  Ivan

   

  Anne Consigny

  Elizabeth

   

  Chiara Mastroianni

  Sylvia

   

  Laurent Capelluto

  Simon

   

  Jean Paul Roussillon

  Abel

   

  

  
  

  Directed by

  Arnaud Desplechin

   

  Writers

  Arnaud Desplechin, Emmanuel Bourdieu

   

  Produced by

   

  Executive Produced by

   

CRITICS’ QUOTES

• ‘A darkly exuberant feast. Now that is a movie! Glenn Kenny

  ‘[Desplechin's] passion for finding new ways to tell old stories are exhilarating... This is a film you don't want to see end, not because the people are so happy but because they are so human and so alive. Kenneth Turan, LA Times

  ‘Very engrossing, often very funny, like a good, long novel you can't put down... [Chiara Mastroianni's] performance is one of the many gems in this rambunctious, imperfect joy of a movie. Ty Burr, Boston Globe

  ‘A marvelously rich visual, intellectual and emotional experience, one that I expect will grow deeper with repeat viewings... If I see another film all year long that prickles me, disturbs me or moves me half as much, I'll be surprised. Andrew O'hehir, Salon

  ‘9 out of 10! CINEMATIC MAGIC. Denueve gets her best role in years, while Amalric proves that he is one of the finest working actors in the world. Alternately cathartic, dysfunctional and compelling...seek it out! Matt Mazur, Pop Matters

  ‘I am a huge fan of Arnaud Desplechin's A Christmas Tale, a bighearted, formally frisky family tale with pitch-perfect work by some of France's plum performers, among them Mastroianni's indomitable mother, Catherine Deneuve. Lisa Schwarzbaum, ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY

  ‘It filled me with unadulterated joy. AO Scott, New York Times

  ‘A plum pudding of a movie, rich with craziness, melodrama, and cinematic brio. J. Hoberman, VILLAGE VOICE

ACCLAIM

• • 2008 Cannes Film Festival
    Official Selection
  • 2008 Toronto International Film Festival
    Official Selection
  • 2008 New York Film Festival
    Official Selection