Friday, April 2, 2010
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Friday, April 2, 2010
MOVIE REVIEW
The Thorn In The Heart (L'Epine Dans Le Coeur)
Family Love: Plain, Complex
And Sometimes Tender
Jean-Yves Gondry and Sylvie Gondry in Michel Gondry's "The Thorn In The Heart".
Oscilloscope Films
By
Omar P.L. Moore/PopcornReel.com
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Friday, April 2, 2010
"The Thorn In The Heart" is a heartfelt documentary by Michel Gondry ("Eternal
Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind"), chronicling the life of his aunt Sylvie Gondry,
and her prickly relationship with her difficult son Jean-Yves, hence the film's
title.
In an often intimate home video presentation, "The Thorn In The Heart", which
opened exclusively in New York City today at the Village East Cinemas, takes us
through a span of at least six decades, beginning with the 1950s as Sylvie
Gondry, a school teacher in France travels through her memories of teaching
young children, who have essentially kept her youthful and playful spirit going.
The school kids on whom Sylvie bestows tough love are a contrast of sorts to her
own children, specifically Jean-Yves, the most emotionally-removed of her
offspring. At one point a family member is asked whether Sylvie is the
mother at school or the teacher at home when she's with her children. The
question and its answer are interesting and insightful, as are other anecdotes
we are privy to.
Mr. Gondry lets his main subject take the audience on a journey through a French
family tree, with its secrets, surprises and revelations. It's an
involving look at a family that may resemble our own. The filmmaker
himself is briefly put under the microscope, and he and other members of the
extended Gondry family are shown in a collection of personal videos over the
years.
In "Thorn", Mr. Gondry adds visual effects and the familiar trademarks and
narrative deconstructions that have made his fiction feature work distinct and
imaginative.
"The Thorn In The Heart", or "L'Epine Dans Les Coeur" is a warm, sincere
portrait of a family that envelopes and touches its audience, with a love, care
and sensitivity that is always honest.
"The Thorn In The Heart" is not rated by the Motion Picture Association of America.
The film is in the French language with English subtitles. The film's
running time is one hour and 26 minutes. The film is part of the
Madison, Wisconsin Film Festival on April 15, and opens on May 14 in Los
Angeles.
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Read more movie reviews and stories from Omar
here.
Read Omar's "Far-Flung Correspondent" reports for America's pre-eminent Film
Critic Roger Ebert in the Chicago Sun-Times -
here
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