Berthe (Marthe Villalonga) an old woman who lives on a farm falls ill and thus goes to live with her daughter Emilie (Catherine Deneuve), a woman who gives the impression of calmness but seems dead to the world. Berthe resents the fake and cold relationship with her daughter. Emilie and her brother Antoine (Daniel Auteuil) are estranged; it has been 3 years since they parted. Berthe's situation causes Emilie to invite Antoine for Christmas. Memories come up and Antoine struggles with the intense feelings which are almost forbidden in nature that he secretly harbors for his sister.
Meanwhile, Emilie sees the empty shell of her household, which has been a façade for a long time, disintegrates. The loneliness which results causes her daughter Anne (Chiara Mastroianni) to find a friend and a sister-figure in Khadija (Carmen Chaplin), a young woman bitter and confused about her relationship with boys.
André Téchiné weaves a story about intense and painful complex family dynamics; the wide gap which exists between a parent and her children caused by modernity and class differences; and the painful ambiguous feelings siblings have for each other, including taboo incestuous feelings. On a smaller scale, he addresses the rough ways in which boys view girls and the power struggle that exist between them, especially in terms of sex.
The story itself is complex and takes unpredicted twists. Just when we think that Emillie and Antoine have resolved, at least for the moment, their tensions with each other, things take an unexpected turn which pulls back out each of their bitterness.
This makes the movie long. It is not for the impatient. However, for those who choose to stick to the end, it may prove a rewarding ride: the acting is spot-on and the actors blend perfectly with their roles. Catherine Deneuve is a genius playing Emilie, a woman cold and detached on the outside, but also with an undercurrent of vulnerability and an emotional core to her. The dialogue is brilliant and slowly, albeit confusingly revealing to us the way Emilie and Antoine see each other, which is rooted in a passionate childhood companionship. It is endearing to see Antoine, a brain surgeon, meticulously analyzing his sister and the relationship they have by linking it to his pet subject: the brain.
The only complain to this movie which I have is that the sub-plot (which revolves around the younger characters, namely Anne, Khadija and the dim-witted son who seems to force himself on the latter woman) seems to not be more thoroughly approached though still profound.
But otherwise, this is a great movie. André Téchiné has a knack for complex human dramas.
Meanwhile, Emilie sees the empty shell of her household, which has been a façade for a long time, disintegrates. The loneliness which results causes her daughter Anne (Chiara Mastroianni) to find a friend and a sister-figure in Khadija (Carmen Chaplin), a young woman bitter and confused about her relationship with boys.
André Téchiné weaves a story about intense and painful complex family dynamics; the wide gap which exists between a parent and her children caused by modernity and class differences; and the painful ambiguous feelings siblings have for each other, including taboo incestuous feelings. On a smaller scale, he addresses the rough ways in which boys view girls and the power struggle that exist between them, especially in terms of sex.
The story itself is complex and takes unpredicted twists. Just when we think that Emillie and Antoine have resolved, at least for the moment, their tensions with each other, things take an unexpected turn which pulls back out each of their bitterness.
This makes the movie long. It is not for the impatient. However, for those who choose to stick to the end, it may prove a rewarding ride: the acting is spot-on and the actors blend perfectly with their roles. Catherine Deneuve is a genius playing Emilie, a woman cold and detached on the outside, but also with an undercurrent of vulnerability and an emotional core to her. The dialogue is brilliant and slowly, albeit confusingly revealing to us the way Emilie and Antoine see each other, which is rooted in a passionate childhood companionship. It is endearing to see Antoine, a brain surgeon, meticulously analyzing his sister and the relationship they have by linking it to his pet subject: the brain.
The only complain to this movie which I have is that the sub-plot (which revolves around the younger characters, namely Anne, Khadija and the dim-witted son who seems to force himself on the latter woman) seems to not be more thoroughly approached though still profound.
But otherwise, this is a great movie. André Téchiné has a knack for complex human dramas.