Kings & Queen (2004)
"Rois et reine" (original title)

Parallel storylines tell the current state of affairs for two ex-lovers: Nora's a single mother who comes to care for her terminally ill father; holed in up in mental ward, Ismael, a brilliant musician, plots his escape.

Director:

Arnaud Desplechin

Writers:

Arnaud Desplechin (scenario & dialogue), Roger Bohbot (scenario & dialogue)

Stars:

Emmanuelle Devos, Geoffrey Carey, Thierry Bosc

10 wins & 9 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Emmanuelle Devos	...	Nora Cotterelle
Geoffrey Carey	...	Claude
Thierry Bosc	...	M. Mader
Olivier Rabourdin	...	Jean-Jacques
Maurice Garrel	...	Louis Jenssens
Valentin Lelong	...	Elias Cotterelle
Olivier Borle	...	Le moniteur
Didier Sauvegrain	...	Le chirurgien
Mathieu Amalric	...	Ismaël Vuillard
François Toumarkine	...	Prospero
Miglen Mirtchev	...	Caliban
Marc Bodnar	...	Le psy de garde
Jean-Paul Roussillon	...	Abel Vuillard
Catherine Rouvel	...	Monique Vuillard
Catherine Deneuve	...	Mme Vasset

Storyline

The stories of Nora during a brief period when her father falls ill and of Ismaël while involuntarily committed to a mental institution for observation. Nora's in her 30s and has loved four men - her son Elias, Elias's deceased father, her own father, and Ismaël, a musician given to odd behavior with whom she lived seven years. She will soon marry a businessman. Faced with her father's death, Nora seeks out Ismaël to ask that he reconnect with Elias; a great deal else roils from her past. Ismaël has his own challenges, not the least of which are his feelings toward adopting Elias and his meeting Arielle, another patient. Ismaël's surface shows a lot; Nora's, very little.

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Plot Keywords:

grenoble | musician | psychiatric hospital | cancer | viola | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

Unrated

Details

Country:

France

Language:

French English German

Release Date:

22 December 2004 (France)

Also Known As:

Kings & Queen

Filming Locations:

Grenoble, Isère, France

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$24,180 (USA) (20 May 2005)

Gross:

$289,592 (USA) (2 December 2005)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Why Not Productions, France 2 Cinéma, Rhône-Alpes Cinéma

Technical Specs

Runtime:

150 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Swiss visa # 1005.091.

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Quotes

Nora Cotterelle: There are four men I loved. I killed two of them.

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Connections

References Notorious (1946)

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Soundtracks

"Moon River"
Written by Henry Mancini

User Reviews

A tour de force

It starts out with a woman describing her various marriages, then, after a bit, we meet a man right before he is condemned to a mental hospital. The connections and the backstory aren't clear at the outset, but this is not at all frustrating in this film. Instead, I was captivated from the beginning. The dialogue is all top-notch, very literary but also grounded. The style of the film is quite remarkable; the two plots are expertly intertwined, and the director makes judicious use of a quick-cut technique in which he rapidly shows the viewer two, usually brief, takes of the same action or emotional reaction. The acting is very strong, and the characters are sympathetic but also, well, "complicated." Finally, the story is very poignant and at times crushing, but it also contains a wealth of little charming moments and amusing quirks. I can't really do justice to how good this movie is, though, so really, I can only say that I highly recommend it!