Directed by Arnaud Desplechin • 2008 • France
Starring Catherine Deneuve, Mathieu Amalric, Jean-Paul Roussillon
In Arnaud Desplechin's beguiling A CHRISTMAS TALE, 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.
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Hunger
Directed by Steve McQueen • 2008 • Ireland, United Kingdom
Starring Michael Fassbender, Stuart Graham, Liam CunninghamWith HUNGER, British filmmaker and artist Steve McQueen has turned one of history’s most controversial acts of political defiance into a jarring, unforgettable cinematic experie...
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Life During Wartime
Directed by Todd Solondz • 2010 • United States
Starring Ally Sheedy, Allison Janney, Ciarán HindsIn LIFE DURING WARTIME, independent filmmaker Todd Solondz explores contemporary American existence and the nature of forgiveness with his customary dry humor and queasy precision. The film functio...
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Certified Copy
Directed by Abbas Kiarostami • 2010 • Italy
Starring Juliette Binoche, William ShimellThe great Iranian director Abbas Kiarostami travels to Tuscany for a luminous and provocative romance in which nothing is as it appears. What seems at first to be a straightforward tale of two people—played by...
