SYNOPSIS: In Arnaud Desplechin’s beguiling A Christmas Tale (Un conte de Noël), Catherine Deneuve brings her legendary poise to the role of Junon, matriarch of the troubled Vuillard family, who come together at Christmas after she learns she needs a bone marrow transplant from a blood relative. That simple family reunion setup, however, can’t begin to describe the unpredictable, emotionally volatile experience of this film, an inventive, magical drama that’s equal parts merriment and melancholy. Unrequited childhood loves and blinding grudges, brutal outbursts and sudden slapstick, music, movies, and poetry, A Christmas Tale ties it all together in a marvelously messy package.
| Junon | Catherine Deneuve |
| Abel | Jean-Paul Roussillon |
| Henri | Mathieu Amalric |
| Elizabeth | Anne Consigny |
| Ivan | Melvil Poupaud |
| Faunia | Emmanuelle Devos |
| Sylvia | Chiara Mastroianni |
| Paul | Emile Berling |
| Claude | Hippolyte Girardot |
| Simon | Laurent Capelluto |
| Director | Arnaud Desplechin |
| Screenplay | Arnaud Desplechin and Emmanuel Bourdieu |
| Producer | Pascal Caucheteux |
| Cinematography | Eric Gautier |
| Editing | Laurence Briaud |
| Music | Grégoire Hetzel |
| Production design | Dan Bevan |
DIRECTOR-APPROVED SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES:
By December 01, 2009
In the eight films he’s made since 1991, Arnaud Desplechin has been developing a visionary world, a personal style that goes against the grain of standard cinematic practice today Read more »
October 29, 2009
For the new issue of Interview magazine, Wes Anderson sat down in Paris with another of our favorite contemporary auteurs, Arnaud Desplechin, who interviewed him in anticipation Read more »
December 08, 2009
Arnaud Desplechin’s A Christmas Tale may not be the most sugary of holiday treats, but critics are spreading cheer all over this sweet-and-sour family-reunion drama, now available in Criterion Read more »
