Je rentre à la maison (2001)

The comfortable daily routines of aging Parisian actor Gilbert Valence, 76, are suddenly shaken when he learns that his wife, daughter, and son-in-law have been killed in a car crash. ... See full summary »

Director:

Manoel de Oliveira

Writers:

Manoel de Oliveira (scenario and dialogue), Eugène Ionesco (play)

Stars:

Michel Piccoli, Catherine Deneuve, John Malkovich

5 wins & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Michel Piccoli	...	Gilbert Valence
Catherine Deneuve	...	Marguerite
John Malkovich	...	John Crawford, Film Director
Antoine Chappey	...	George
Leonor Baldaque	...	Sylvia
Leonor Silveira	...	Marie
Ricardo Trêpa	...	Guard
Jean-Michel Arnold	...	Doctor
Adrien de Van	...	Ferdinand
Sylvie Testud	...	Ariel
Isabel Ruth	...	Milkmaid
Andrew Wale	...	Stephen
Robert Dauney	...	Haines
Jean Koeltgen	...	Serge
Mauricette Gourdon	...	Guilhermine, the Housekeeper

Storyline

The comfortable daily routines of aging Parisian actor Gilbert Valence, 76, are suddenly shaken when he learns that his wife, daughter, and son-in-law have been killed in a car crash. Having to take care of his now-orphaned grandson, he struggles to go on with his lifelong acting career like he's used to. But the roles he is offered -- a flashy TV show and a hectic last-minute replacement in an English-language film of Joyce's Ulysses -- finally convince him that it's time to retire.

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Plot Keywords:

aging | actor | wallet | cleaning lady | window display | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

Madragoa Films (Portuguese, English, French)

Country:

France Portugal

Language:

French English

Release Date:

12 September 2001 (France)

Also Known As:

I'm Going Home

Box Office

Budget:

FRF 18,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Madragoa Filmes, Gemini Films, France 2 Cinéma

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Chosen by "Les Cahiers du cinéma" (France) as one of the 10 best pictures of 2001 (#05)

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Connections

Referenced in Faust. Der Tragödie erster Teil (2009)

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Soundtracks

Sous le Ciel de Paris
Music by Hubert Giraud
Lyrics by Jean Dréjac

User Reviews

The poetry of details

Manuel de Oliveira is the film director of the details. The camera is always very slow with him and much concentrated on visual details, immobile images and dialogues. Each one of these however, has its meaning sometimes poetic and contributes to introduce the spectator deeply into the atmosphere of the story. Remember for instance the scene when the old actor, after having bought and put on a pair of new yellow shoes that he liked very much, is talking to someone else at a café and while the dialogue goes on we almost never see his face since the camera focuses his feet all the time and the movements he makes with his shoes like an element of his personality. This is the story of an old actor at the end of his career still trying to work after the violent death of his wife, daughter and son-in-law in a road accident that left him in charge of his little grandson. Michel Piccoli does a great job in the role of the aging actor and we can feel all along the movie the feelings that take place in his mind on the one hand in his difficult relationship with his agent about what the latter tries to demand from him and on the other hand in his tender relationship with his grandson at home though they don't see much of each other due to to their divergent hours. A movie really worth to be seen.