The Thorn in the Heart (2009) L'épine dans le coeur (original title)

Director:

Michel Gondry

Writer:

Michel Gondry (written by)

Release Date:

2 April 2010 (USA)

Genre:

Documentary

Plot:

Michel Gondry chronicles the life of Gondry family matriarch, his aunt Suzette Gondry, and her relationship with her son, Jean-Yves. |

Plot Keywords:

Aunt

Cast

Suzette Gondry	...	Herself
Jean-Yves Gondry	...	Himself
Michel Gondry	...	Himself
Sasha Allard	...	Herself
Paul Gondry	...	Himself
Remi Andre	...	Himself
Lucas Andreo	...	Himself
Laura Arjailles	...	Herself
Sophie Balderelli	...	Herself
Viviane Bastide	...	Herself
Henri Bec	...	Himself
Gabrielle Bell	...	Herself
Denis Bertaux	...	Himself
Denis Bertavy	...	Himself
Francis Bertot	...	Himself
Gerard Bertrand	...	Himself
Pierre Bertrand	...	Himself
Lucie Blanc	...	Herself
Nathalie Boucknooghe	...	Herself
Mathis Boucknooghe	...	Himself
Andre Boudes	...	Himself
Marie-Therese Boudes	...	Herself
Yoni Bouisseren	...	Herself
Tony Bouisseren	...	Himself
Isabelle Bouisseren	...	Herself
Mr. Boyer	...	Himself
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Guillaume Le Bras	...	Himself - Sound Guy

Directed by
Michel Gondry

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Michel Gondry		written by

Produced by
Georges Bermann	....	producer

Cinematography by
Jean-Louis Bompoint

Film Editing by
Marie-Charlotte Moreau

Costume Design by
Florence Fontaine

Sound Department
Laurent d'Herbecourt	....	supervising sound editor
Claire-Anne Largeron	....	additional sound recordist
Guillaume Le Bras	....	sound
François Loubeyre	....	sound re-recording mixer

Camera and Electrical Department
Ludovic Mayer	....	assistant camera
Kathy Sebbah	....	camera operator

Editorial Department
Yann Guihard	....	apprentice editor
Charlotte Lamy Le Loet	....	color timer

Other crew
Kathy Sebbah	....	camera assistant

Production Companies

• Partizan

Distributors

• Mars Distribution (2010) (France) (theatrical)
• Oscilloscope Pictures (2010) (USA) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• Atlantide Entertainment (2010) (Italy) (all media)
• Oscilloscope Pictures (2009) (Canada) (all media)
• Soda Pictures (2010) (UK) (all media)

Other Companies

• Studio Line  sound post-production

Also Known As:

"L'épine dans le coeur" - France (original title)

Runtime:

86 min

Country:

France

Language:

French

Color:

Color | Black and White

Company:

Partizan

Gondry's portrait

Just saw this film in NYC, there was also a Q&A after with the man himself after.

I found the film to be a beautiful portrait of someone's life, and how the people around them are affected. Michel said in the Q&A that he wanted to give his Aunt some visual record/history of her life, and this film goes to show that you don't need to create a Hollywood fictional character, real people are just as interesting and entertaining. Gondry uses a mixture of visual formats to illustrate the documentary, from super 8 to his well known stop motion. This adds a richness, and a historical depth that works within the context of the film. The film is emotionally moving at times and also humorous. The film is simple and enjoyable, one that does not need to be taken too seriously, yet carries tones of a maturity in Gondry's work that is often not always so prominent.

Go see it!