2008 (Arnaud Desplechin) 14A, 151 min
Starring: Anne Consigny, Catherine Deneuve, Mathieu Alalric, Melvil Poupaud
In French with English subtitles

The best film of 2008 was just one of several exceptional French movies to hit our screens last year. But none of them was quite as audacious as A Christmas Tale, a dysfunctional family drama, which takes place over a few days around Christmas. Director Arnaud Desplechin introduces us to the Vuillard family, a troubled, in-fighting group dominated by its steely matriarch Junon (a terrific Deneuve). The circle, which comes together this holiday season, includes Junon's daughter, Elizabeth (Consigny), who has completely frozen her brother Henri (Amalric) out of her life; her other son Ivan (Poupaud), who's caught in the middle of his siblings' battles; and their troubled cousin Simon (Laurent Capelluto, who's still smarting over Ivan's wife, Sylvia (Chiara Mastroianni), who was also Simon's first and only love. That's just the tip of the iceberg in a complex, smart film that mixes avant garde film techniques, trenchant narration and subtle performances to limn a unique and memorable portrait of an unhappy clan. Heavily dramatic at times but also amusing and unpredictable, A Christmas Tale is a film like no other. You won't soon forget it.