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A Christmas Tale (2008) poster

2008 · drama · comedy

A Christmas Tale

Directed by Arnaud Desplechin2h 32m2008

When their regal matriarch falls ill, the troubled Vuillard family come together for a hesitant Christmastime reunion. Among them is rebellious ne'er-do-well Henri and the uptight Elizabeth. Together under the same roof for the first time in many years, their intricate, long denied resentments and yearnings emerge again.

Our read: A Christmas Tale (2008) reads as a neutral, measured, grounded drama · comedy entry — measured in intensity, intimate in scope, measured in temperature, ambivalent in outlook, with a strong directorial signature.

Movie DNA

Neutral, measured, measured drama / comedy, grounded in texture. Ambivalent, intimate, measured.

ElsewhereIMDb7.08kRT86%Metacritic84TMDB6.8172
  • measured
  • signature
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Everyone on the couch spins once and gets one craft to watch for. After the credits, compare what you caught.

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DNA · twelve axes

How A Christmas Tale feels to watch.

Each axis is scored by hand, not from votes or genre averages. The bar uses the film's own colours.

MoodHeavy ↔ Cosy
PacingSlow-burn ↔ Kinetic
IntensityGentle ↔ Extreme
WeirdnessConventional ↔ Surreal
HopeNihilistic ↔ Redemptive
StakesIntimate ↔ Epic
HumourNone ↔ Broad
RealityGrounded ↔ Fantastical
DensitySparse ↔ Twisty
WarmthCold ↔ Tender
AuteurTransparent ↔ Signature
Tonight, this looks like

What watching it is actually like.

“You want a sprawling French family Christmas where every grudge still breathes.”

ends bittersweetit stays with youmeditativegrips by minute 14attention 4/5feels its lengthsubtitles: full
Date nightWith friendsSoloWith parentsKids around
Heads-updrug use

Skip it tonight — Skip if two-and-a-half hours of dysfunction and illness feels too much tonight.

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