Chicken with Plums (2011)
"Poulet aux prunes" (original title)

Since his beloved violin was broken, Nasser Ali Khan, one of the most renowned musicians of his day, has lost all taste for life. Finding no instrument worthy of replacing it, he decides to confine himself to bed to await death.

Directors:

Vincent Paronnaud, Marjane Satrapi

Writers:

Marjane Satrapi, Vincent Paronnaud,

Stars:

Mathieu Amalric, Edouard Baer, Maria de Medeiros

1 win & 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Mathieu Amalric	...	Nasser-Ali Khan
Edouard Baer	...	Azraël
Maria de Medeiros	...	Faringuisse
Golshifteh Farahani	...	Irâne
Eric Caravaca	...	Abdi
Chiara Mastroianni	...	Lili, adulte
Mathis Bour	...	Cyrus
Enna Balland	...	Lili
Didier Flamand	...	Le maître de musique
Serge Avedikian	...	Le père d'Irâne
Rona Hartner	...	Soudabeh
Jamel Debbouze	...	Houshang / Le mendiant
Isabella Rossellini	...	Parvine
Frédéric Saurel	...	Mirza (as Fred Saurel)
Christian Friedel	...	Cyrus, 22 ans

Storyline

Nasser-Ali, a talented musician, loses the will to live after his wife breaks his beloved violin during an argument. He searches for a replacement, and finding none that sounds quite the same, he vows to die. Eight days later, he does. This is the story of his last week of life, where we see flashbacks and flash forwards of his previous life and his children's futures. We also see appearances of a nude Sophia Loren as well as the angel of death, Azarel. As we see his life, we realize exactly why he chose to end it and the profundity of this choice.

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Plot Keywords:

violin | flashback | animal in title | socrates | bus | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for some drug content, violent images, sensuality and smoking

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [jp] Official site [us]

Country:

France Germany Belgium

Language:

French English

Release Date:

26 October 2011 (France)

Also Known As:

Azrail'i Beklerken

Filming Locations:

Babelsberg Studios, Berlin, Germany

Box Office

Budget:

€12,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$11,301 (USA) (17 August 2012)

Gross:

$253,705 (USA) (7 December 2012)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Celluloid Dreams, Manipulators, The, uFilm

Technical Specs

Runtime:

93 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby DTS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Connections

Features The Phantom of the Opera (1925)

User Reviews

a quirky, interesting film

This is a quirky, interesting film. I found parts of it more interesting than others, and some really quite beautiful. The sense of humor takes some time to develop, but when it does, it's quite winning. Those who are expecting another *Persepolis* will be disappointed; it is really very different, quirkier, and more uneven. But it definitely rewards attentive viewing.

One of the things I found interesting is that, unlike Persepolis, this movie really considers life from the perspective of a middle-aged man. Women here are either very objectified objects of sexual desire, or harpies. There are no intelligent women, such as one finds in *Persepolis.* That doesn't make the movie good or bad for me, but it was an interesting difference.