ALERT- there are spoilers here: This film is maddening in that the characters on many levels are completely unsympathetic...and yet they manage to draw you in and elicit empathy.The acting is superb. I loved the music and the jerky cinematic quality- making it look like a home movie at times. In this respect, the cinematography reminds me a bit of Cousin Cousine and the shots of the family in that film at the party.The story was multi-layered. Many times I expected some violent incident but I was immensely relieved that the film never resorted to this type of a device.Questions are posed, mysteries are revealed and the questions remain unanswered at the end of the movie. Nothing is neat. All is messy and unresolved in away that is true to life. The relationship between Junon and her husband is unusually tender and believable. I loved the hematologic subtext. Even more- I loved the ending with its reference to The Tempest.

The film deals with death, but not in a morbid way. One of the queerest scenes involved Abel (Jean-Paul Roussillon), Junon Vuillard's (Catherine Deneuve) husband, and Claude (Hippolyte Girardot), working the statistical chances of survival and the time left if Junon chose to have or not have a bone marrow transplant for her cancer. This is not something I could ever imagine happening anywhere else.Junon was so cool about the whole thing that you never really thought about the fact that she was dying.The entire family, sons and daughters, nieces and nephews, girlfriends, and others arrive at the family house to celebrate Christmas, each with their own funny and not-so-funny issues.The main issue working throughout the entire film is between brother and sister, Henri (Mathieu Amalric) and Elizabeth (Anne Consigny). Both actors were brilliant, and I am still not totally sure of the issues.There were other issues going on, and they are way too numerous to mention. The film deals with family and repentance, and forgiveness, among other issues.Arnaud Desplechin works like no other director I have seen and, while it may be distracting at times, it is never boring. The two and a half hours fly by.The children's Christmas play was hilarious, and dealt with the same themes.This was definitely one of the best films of 2008.

When I watched director Arnaud Desplechin's "Kings and queen", I was most impressed by the richness of its contents. "A Christmas tale" is also rich in contents but in a different way. Rather than multiple plot lines, the story evolves around a simple family reunion at Christmas. As the film unfolds, what starts as a blur comprising a group of strangers (to the audience) gradually develops outlines and shapes until at the end, what has been revealed in relationships and human nature is no less complex than in "Kings and queen". Instrumental to this marvellous cinematic experience is an ensemble of top-notch actors, with top-notch performances. Catherine Deneuve plays Junon, the pivotal point of this ordinary dysfunctional (no oxymoron intended) family, a woman who years ago lost his 6-year-old son Joseph to a rare genetic ailment. After several decades, she now falls victim to the same disease, and has less than six months to live unless she gets a bone marrow transplant from a family member. One of the purposes of the reunion is to find such a donor. It turns out that only two are compatible. Junon, however, faces her predicament with calm stoicism and isn't even sure if she wants the treatment. Jean-Paul Roussillon won a Caesar for Best Supporting by playing Abel, her supportive and understanding husband. He is also a firm rock and a safe harbour for family members (four children, their spouses and offspring) who are emotionally troubled. The two older children, Elizabeth and Henri, had hated each other since childhood, partly because neither was compatible with Joseph to provide bone marrow transplant to save their dying brother. Their respective characters also flamed the antagonism. Elizabeth, played by Anne Consigny is serious and multi-talented. Henri, played by Mathieu Amalric, is the black sheep of the family, always obnoxious, a drifter and a womanizer. But it turns out that Henri is one of the only two compatible family members for the transplant. The other is Elizabeth's teenage son, Paul (played by Emile Berling), an introvert, sensitive young man and a schizophrenia patient. Abel and Junon's other two surviving children are boys. Laurent Capelluto plays Simon, taciturn, reasonably well liked but undistinguished and still single. While Junon likes Henri least (not surprisingly), the apple of her eyes is the youngest son Ivan, played by Melvil Poupaud, handsome, fun-filled, happily married to beautiful wife Sylvia, with two lively little boys (played by Thomas Obled and Clement Obled). Sylvia, played by Chiara Mastroianni, then stumbles across a little secret that the two brothers had both been in love with her, and agreed between themselves that Ivan was to go ahead. While this does not change anything, Sylvia will now always wonder why is it that her life had to be decided for her, and how it would have been if she were allow to make a free choice. Her relationship with Simon takes a subtle change. Contributing to the complex world of emotions and nuances is Henri's latest girlfriend Faunia, played by Emmanuelle Devos. As she is Jewish, she has never intended to spend Christmas with the family. But while initially reluctant, she ends up spending two days there before leaving on Christmas Eve to join her own folks. What's more, Faunia's open and honest personality brings a measure of healthy impact to his troubled family, particularly, Junon. Completing the ensemble is Elizabeth's husband Claude (Hippolyte Girardot) and another guest, an elderly lady who is an old family friend (Francois Bertin). From the above summary, it can be easily surmised how immense the dramatic opportunities could be. This potential is fully realized by an excellent director and an impeccable cast. The only other thing I would add is that the entire tone of this film is cheerful, emotional moments notwithstanding.

It just doesn't get much better than this for fans of movie-making…or fans of music, art, literature, philosophy…even algebra? Arnaud Desplechin uses Robert Altman's impressionistic approach to film-making taking multiple characters, plots lines then adding Altman's playfulness with cinematic technique to dazzle the viewer with a rich mix of ideas and allusions. Watching, you just don't want it to end.The actors here—as in Altman—take center stage. Catherine Deneuve is the reluctant matriarch of some pretty messed-up siblings. We aren't ever clued in on the exact details of the rifts and jealousies. We just recognize them from our own family experiences. During an introduction to the cast of characters at the beginning of the film, the death of a young infant early in the family's history suggests that interpersonal problems will result, but it can't be the sole reason for the pathologies represented. As in life, it's never a simple thing to find the "reason" for conflict, unhappiness or even joy. We simply have to accept it and make the best of the situations before us. And this film is a wonderful demonstration of making the best of a real mess.There's not a weak link in the cast. And as the bizarre begin to assemble for a very strange Christmas homecoming the delight we feel for being onlookers instead of participants is palpable in the audience.I should warn that this is not a film in the tradition of "Home Alone" or "A Christmas Story." You may wait a long time for the Baby Jesus to arrive here (as the children on the screen do). It's more a film about family life and the peculiar kind of fulfillment we get from the strife that results. As with the "ghost wolf" in this family's basement, we're haunted by the familiar and the strange: it's both fearful and thrilling to see. And that's a very admirable accomplishment for Arnaud Desplechin.