A Christmas Tale

Alex J's friend Jon recently wrote this as a Facebook status update: Jonathan saw "A Christmas Tale." It is not a french film. It is *the* french film.

I think I can agree with that sentiment.

I've liked Desplechin's films ever since I saw My Sex Life or How I Got Into An Argument with Marc when I first moved to NYC. I wish that I had seen more of his films over the years. I love Mathieu Amalric and this was part of my Amalric double feature on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving - the James Bond movie being the other.

Catherine Deneuve was good as usual. Emmanuelle Devos is a Desplechin regular and she's always great.

It is a two and a half hour dysfunctional family comes together at Christmas type movie - but done all French style. Funny, fascinating, and dark. A good movie.

I sent Jon the link to this post. He responded, "I loved the movie, but what I actually meant by my update was that it was *so freaking French* I could not get over it! The father reading to his daughter to cure her neurosis. The woman fucking the cousin and not hiding it from the husband. The cigarettes!"

Well put. As I said, this film was done all French style.

Directed by Arnaud Desplechin
2008
BAM