A Christmas Tale
- Catherine Deneuve: Junon
- Jean -Paul Roussillon: Abel
- Anne Consigny: Elizabeth
- Mathieu Amalric: Henri
- Melvil Poupaud: Ivan
- Emmanuelle Devos: Faunia
- Laurent Capelluto: Simon
- Chiara Mastroianni: Sylvia
- Hippolyte Girardot: Claude
- Emile Berling: Paul
- Françoise Bertin: Rosaimée
A Christmas Tale is a French comedy - drama from the year 2008. Award-winning and critically acclaimed film was released on 18 December 2008 in Switzerland.
Action
In the house of an aging couple Junon and Abel Vuillard, the whole family meets for Christmas. Thanks to Father Abel's effort is also Henri, the outcast son, this time doing. This Christmas is all about Junons cancer. Your blood cancer will be defeated with the help of a bone marrow transplant. After putting in the last weeks, all were histologically investigate, only her 14 - year-old grandson Paul and her unloved son Henri come as donors. Junon opts for Henri as donors. "He came out of my belly - I only take me what belongs to me " are her words.
Regardless of the season, the old hostilities germinate again. Junons son- Claude travels to a brawl with the choleric Henri again. From an old friend of the family learns Junons daughter Sylvia, her husband Ivan once with his brother Henri and his cousin Simon dating, that the other two should renounce Sylvia because he was so madly in love with Sylvia. She feels left out, she would have liked even decided with whom she spends her life. Henri's girlfriend Faunia leaves the house before Christmas Eve - as a Jew, it is the celebration of Christmas critically. Simon leaves the family celebration on Christmas Eve, to get drunk in a bar. All his actions and his thoughts are directed to Sylvia. His life appears pointless to him without it. Sylvia finds him, brings him home and spends the night with him. Your husband Ivan remains this is not hidden. Elizabeth complained the next morning with her father on their lack of enjoyment of life. He sees the early death of her brother Joseph, the firstborn of Vuillard, as a trigger.
After the holidays then takes transplantation. Henri visits his mother against the advice of the medical staff immediately after waking up from his anesthesia, shows towards her caring and encouraging. Elizabeth's subsequent monologue can be seen that Junons body has the transplant well received.
Background information
The filmmakers Arnaud Desplechin and Emmanuel Bourdieu were inspired by the nonfiction La Greffe, biology entre et psychanalyse by Jacques Ascher and Jean -Pierre Jouet.
The budget of the film was approximately EUR 6.3 million. The world's revenue amounted to slightly more than 5 million dollars. The locations were Paris, Lille, Croix, Roubaix and Tourcoing in the cemetery. In the University Hospital of Lille, no agency mediated Comparsen were used, but the actually employed there staff.
Trivia
The actresses Catherine Deneuve and Chiara Mastroianni are mother and daughter.
Film Music
- Midsummer Night's Dream - Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy
- Lullaby - George Gershwin
- Lyric Fathom - Blackalicious
- Merry Christmas Baby - Otis Redding
- Merry Christmas Baby - The M. Jones and Johnny Moore Orchestra
- Domenico Scarlatti's Sonata K27 in B minor - Marcela Roggeri
- Domenico Scarlatti's Sonata in B Minor - Scott Ross
- Love & Happiness - Julien Lebrun
- Nisi Dominus - Regensburg Cathedral Choir
- No Surrender - White & Spirit
- I'm a good woman - The Generation
- The big sleep - Gaspard Royant
- King of Rock Bottom - Mr. J. Meideros
- O Come All Ye Faithful - Mark Ford
- Symphony Ad Sepulcrum - Quintet under the direction of Anne Christine Leuridan
- Lotus Blossom - Joe Henderson
- Fleurette africaine - Duke Ellington
- Ad Lib On Nippon - Duke Ellington
- It's Been A Long Long Time - Brook Benton
- It's A Good Woman - Ozen
- Expectation - The Coal Aston Carollers
- Hark, Hark! - Carollers From the Black Bull
- Bulbs - Gil Evans
- Was It You? - Art Palmer Quartet
- Air - Cecil Taylor
- Vivaldi's L' estro armonico Opus 3 - Europa Galante
- Gaude et laetare - Choir of Westminster Cathedral
- Prince Zorro - Olivier Deparis
- Hark! - Les Petits Chanteurs à la Croix de Bois
- Ana Baashaq El Bahr - Nagat El Saghira
- Raga Hansadhwani - Shiv Kumar Sharma
- Oderjimi Jim - Novella Matveeva Nikolaeva
The background music was written by Grégoire Hetzel.
Criticism
" In expressive narrative style with extreme camera angles and breaks the unity of the fictional world the unusual family drama unfolds a tragi-comic, sometimes surreal, sometimes oppressively realistic universe whose relentless, but affectionate tone fit the excellent performer seamlessly. "
" Conte de Noël ' but has become a rare stroke of luck, where face large Schauspieleregos entirely disinterested in the service of ebullient ideas director who knows how to invent with Shakespearean force, verve and chutzpah the genre of Familienrührstücks for canvas new. [ ... ] Like a great jazz virtuoso Desplechin experimented stylistically with shadow theater figures, slow motion, keyhole shots and photo collages and backed this creative chaos even with the entire range of musical creation. Those who risk so much while remaining true to his inner values and emotions compass, can still win a lot in the cinema of today. "
Awards
- Broadcast Film Critics (USA) Nomination: Best Foreign Language Film
- International Film Festival of Cannes 2008 ( France) Nomination: Golden Palm ( Arnaud Desplechin )
- César 2009 (France) Award: Best Supporting Actor (Jean -Paul Roussillon )
- Nomination: Best Supporting Actress ( Anne Consigny )
- Nomination: Best Cinematography (Eric Gautier )
- Nomination: Best Director ( Arnaud Desplechin )
- Nomination: Best Editing (Laurence Briaud )
- Nomination: Best Picture
- Nomination: Best Sound (Nicolas Cantin, Jean -Pierre Laforce and Sylvain Malbrant )
- Nomination: Best Original Screenplay ( Emmanuel Bourdieu and Arnaud Desplechin )
- Nomination: Best Young Actor ( Laurent Capelluto )
- Chicago Film Critics (USA) Nomination: Best Foreign Language Film
- Étoile d' Or ( France) Award: Best Director ( Arnaud Desplechin )
- Online Film Critics Society Awards ( United States ) Nomination: Best Foreign Language Film
- Satellite Awards 2008 ( USA) Nomination: Best Actress ( Catherine Deneuve )
- European Film Awards 2008 ( Europe) Nomination: Best artistic contribution