A Família de Simon

Well, it appears that I'm the first person reviewing "La vraie famille" (alternately called "The Family" and "A Family for 1640 Days" in English). Like many movies about broken-up families - i.e., Kramer vs. Kramer - this shows the tensions that arise. It reminds me of the quote often attributed to Anton Chekhov (I don't know if it's actually from him) "All happy families are alike. Every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way." It makes me feel lucky not to have my own family (I get to spend all my free time watching movies and TV shows!)

The movie also made me wonder what the intermarriage rate is in France. Seeing the Frenchwoman married to an Arab calls to mind France's colonization of several Arab and African countries, and in particular its atrocities during Algeria's war for independence. I don't know how much France acknowledges this history, so I don't know how willing the average French person is to hook up with someone of a different race.

Anyway, it's an okay movie. Some intense scenes.