Les fantômes d'Ismaël (2017)

The story follows a filmmaker whose life is sent into a tailspin by the return of a former lover just as he is about to embark on the shoot of a new film.

Director:

Arnaud Desplechin

Writers:

Arnaud Desplechin (scenario & dialogue), Julie Peyr (scenario & dialogue)

Stars:

Mathieu Amalric, Marion Cotillard, Charlotte Gainsbourg

6 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Mathieu Amalric	...	Ismaël Vuillard
Marion Cotillard	...	Carlotta Bloom
Charlotte Gainsbourg	...	Sylvia
Louis Garrel	...	Ivan Dedalus
Alba Rohrwacher	...	Arielle / Faunia
László Szabó	...	Henri Bloom
Hippolyte Girardot	...	Zwy
Jacques Nolot	...	Claverie
Catherine Mouchet	...	Le médecin soins intensifs
Samir Guesmi	...	Le médecin
Mélodie Richard	...	Hôtesse de l'air
Marc Prin	...	Jacques (Diplomate 1)
Bruno Todeschini	...	Responsable sécurité Tadjikistan
Pascal Ternisien	...	Robert (Diplomate 2)
Philippe Fretun	...	Mathieu (Diplomate 3)

Storyline

Having run away twenty-one years ago, Carlotta (Marion Cotillard) is back out of the blue. Ismael (Mathieu Amalric) has been busy rebuilding a life for himself next to Sylvia (Charlotte Gainsbourg) while working on his next feature film. As Ismael's trials and tribulations unfurl, so do those of the main character of his film: the idle, funny and reckless diplomat Ivan Dédalus (Louis Garrel). The character is a nod to the ghost of another of Desplechin's creations, the brother of Paul Dédalus, three-time hero of "My Sex Life - or How I Got Into an Argument," "A Christmas Tale" and "My Golden Days." A film within a film - and then some, Desplechin layers narrative upon narrative. With ISMAEL'S GHOSTS, Desplechin returns once again to the past, creating film after film as his way of stepping back in time, and proving yet again that his brand of genius lies in his ability to find light in the darkest of places.

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Plot Keywords:

tel aviv israel | cell phone | wife leaves husband | film director | artistic creation | 

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Genres:

Drama | Romance | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for sexuality including some graphic nudity, language, and brief strong violence

Details

Country:

France

Language:

French Hebrew

Release Date:

23 March 2018 (USA)

Also Known As:

Ismael's Ghosts

Filming Locations:

Roubaix, Nord, France

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$19,158, 25 March 2018, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$102,510, 24 May 2018

Company Credits

Production Co:

Why Not Productions,France 2 Cinéma,Canal+

Technical Specs

Runtime:

114 min 135 min (director's cut)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film contains literal quotes from, among others, Jacques Lacan and the novel 'The Human Stain' by Philip Roth.

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Connections

References Vertigo (1958)

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Soundtracks

Marnie
Composed by Bernard Herrmann

User Reviews

Save your money

This film is a stinker. The premise seems interesting enough - a woman disappeared 20 years earlier, the husband and family not sure if she was dead. Other than that, the film goes downhill fast. The plot is boring, and the film jumps around to various sub-plots. The dialog is bad - the characters speak in a way that you shake your head and say "Who speaks like that in real life?" Not sure if it's a translation issue, but this seems to be consistent throughout the movie. It's basically a movie about the dialog, not so much the weak, unbelievable story. You really don't care about the characters. To add to the torture, the movie is over 2 hours long, so the suffering is extended. Avoid it like the plague.