Small World (2010)

Sixty year-old Conrad Lang has Alzheimer's. Though he's losing his short-term memory, memories from his past keep on coming to him. These memories bring him back in time to when he was a ... See full summary »

Director:

Bruno Chiche

Writers:

Bruno Chiche (adaptation), Martin Suter (novel)

Stars:

Gérard Depardieu, Alexandra Maria Lara, Françoise Fabian

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Gérard Depardieu	...	Konrad Lang
Alexandra Maria Lara	...	Simone Senn
Françoise Fabian	...	Elvira Senn
Niels Arestrup	...	Thomas Senn
Nathalie Baye	...	Elisabeth Senn
Yannick Renier	...	Philippe Senn
Féodor Atkine	...	Scholler
Olivier Claverie	...	Dr. Cohen
Pascale Arbillot	...	Dr. Wirth
Anne Benoît	...	Nadia
Hélène Hardouin	...	Consuela
Arthur Lebas	...	Koni enfant
Néo Rouleau	...	Tomi enfant
Sarah Stern	...	Maman Anna
Rachel Eberhart	...	La maman Elvira

Storyline

Sixty year-old Conrad Lang has Alzheimer's. Though he's losing his short-term memory, memories from his past keep on coming to him. These memories bring him back in time to when he was a young boy. This involuntary investigation in the depths of his mind threatens to let out a dark family secret, of which Conrad was the first victim.

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

Not Rated

User Reviews

Depardieu in top form

Gérard Depardieu leads a very talented cast in this film, closely based on a story titled "Small World" by Swiss author Martin Suter. Simone (played by Alexandra Maria Lara) marries into a very wealthy family. The wedding is crashed by the besotted old friend Konrad (Depardieu) of her father-in-law, Thomas (Niels Arestrup). Konrad is an acute embarrassment to the family, but instead of being thrown out of the house he is treated with surprising gentleness and deference. Konrad (Depardieu) is suffering from early stages of memory loss (possibly Alzheimer's). Rather than put him up in a clinic, Grandma (Françoise Fabian) insists that he be installed in the guest house on the family estate with round-the- clock nursing care. Simone gradually discovers that there are terrible family secrets lurking about, and Grandma and Konrad appear to be the focal point of them. The problem is: Grandma lies about the past, and nobody will believe Konrad because of his deteriorating sanity. As Simone probes more deeply, she finds herself at odds with her new husband, Grandma, and the house staff; she draws closer to Konrad and a very moving relationship develops between them, made increasingly difficult for her by Konrad's not remembering who she is from one day to the next. But his childhood memories are intact, and they keep contradicting Grandma's version of what happened. Simone's discovery of a photo album corroborates much of what Konrad has been babbling, and precipitates a family crisis.

Depardieu is simply fantastic in this role of a man with an increasingly tenuous grip on reality. His seemingly effortless performance compares to Hoffman's portrayal of the autistic man- child in "Rainman". Alexandra Lara shines as the newly-wed wife thrown into the deep end of a profoundly troubled and conspiratorial family. Françoise Fabian might remind you of Livia from "I Claudius"--a snake bit her and the snake died!

In addition to convincingly real performances, fine direction and a solid screenplay make this a very good film.

Details

Official Sites:

Rezo Films [France]

Country:

France Germany

Language:

French

Release Date:

16 December 2010 (Germany)

Also Known As:

Small World

Filming Locations:

Abbeville, Somme, France

Box Office

Budget:

EUR6,300,000 (estimated)

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$3,786,465

Company Credits

Production Co:

Quad Productions, Blueprint Film, Studio 37

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1