35 Shots of Rum (2008)

The relationship between a father and daughter is complicated by the arrival of a handsome young man.

Director:

Claire Denis

Writers:

Claire Denis (scenario), Jean-Pol Fargeau (scenario)

Stars:

Alex Descas, Mati Diop, Nicole Dogué

2 wins & 16 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Alex Descas	...	Lionel
Mati Diop	...	Joséphine
Nicole Dogué	...	Gabrielle
Grégoire Colin	...	Noé
Julieth Mars Toussaint	...	René
Adèle Ado	...	La patronne du bar
Jean-Christophe Folly	...	Ruben
Ingrid Caven	...	La tante allemande
Mario Canonge	...	Le collègue
Stéphane Pocrain	...	Le prof
Mary Pie	...	Lina
Eriq Ebouaney	...	Blanchard
Malaïka Marie-Jeanne
Jean-Luc Joseph
Giscard Bouchotte

Storyline

The relationship between a father and daughter is complicated by the arrival of a handsome young man.

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Plot Keywords:

grave | cemetery | dead mother | dead wife | mother's grave | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

Unrated

Details

Official Sites:

Wild Bunch [France]

Country:

France Germany

Language:

French German

Release Date:

18 February 2009 (France)

Also Known As:

35 Shots of Rum

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$6,464, 29 January 2010, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$177,511, 6 June 2010

Company Credits

Production Co:

Soudaine Compagnie, Pandora Filmproduktion, Arte France Cinéma

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Claire Denis: [Casting] Grégoire Colin

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Connections

Featured in On demande à voir: Episode #1.22 (2009)

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Soundtracks

Nightshift
Written by Walter Orange, Dennis Lambert and Franne Golde
Performed by The Commodores
Courtesy of Motown Records

User Reviews

A heartfelt dissection of meanings of life in a familial context

I like it when the movie title itself is capable of concisely threading together the themes of the movie and yet retains a unique symbolic connotation. "35 shots of rum" is a good example. The audience were left with a question mark as to what the "35 shots of rum theory" meant to the father early on in the movie, and when leaving the cinema were probably rewarded with a sonorous answer which neatly highlights and summarises the point of the movie.

In a working class Parisian family which is disintegrated by the loss of an important member, what bonds the remaining members together and keep them going? What prevents them from lying flat on the rail and let trains run all over them and wrap them up as some may choose to? "35 shots of rum" provides us with a sincere, heartfelt and highly humanised conjecture through unraveling an intimate web of relationships within the family and the neighbourhood, and reveals to the audience what meanings of life are to the characters. The story-telling is commendable and loyal to its central film throughout, making the film a structurally condensed and coherent piece of study of humanity.