ln Arnaud DespIechin's beguiIing A Christmas TaIe , Catherine Deneuve brings her Iegendary poise to the roIe of Junon, matriarch of the troubIed VuilIard famiIy, who come together at Christmas after she learns she needs a bone marrow transplant from a bIood relative. That simple famiIy reunion setup, however, can't begin to describe the unpredictable, emotionaIly volatiIe experience of this fiIm, an inventive, magicaI drama that's equal parts merriment and meIanchoIy. Unrequited childhood Ioves and blinding grudges, brutal outbursts and sudden slapstick, music, movies, and poetry, A Christmas Tale ties it alI together in a marvelously messy package. |