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Declaration of War

Play trailer Poster for Declaration of War Released Jan 27, 2012 1h 40m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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86% Tomatometer 43 Reviews 70% Popcornmeter 1,000+ Ratings
The idyllic life of a French couple (Valérie Donzelli, Jérémie Elkaïm) shatters when they learn that their young son has a brain tumor.

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Declaration of War

Critics Reviews

View All (43) Critics Reviews
Ann Hornaday Washington Post True to its title, "Declaration of War" is a visceral, forthright visit to the front lines of battle, where superhuman courage is called for as life-or-death skirmishes turn into a long slog of survival. Rated: 3.5/4 Mar 23, 2012 Full Review Joe Williams St. Louis Post-Dispatch The tonal shifts, the "Amelie"-style voiceover and the punk-retro soundtrack may jar some viewers who expect uninterrupted violins, but "Declaration of War" is alternative therapy that really works. Rated: 3.5/4 Mar 9, 2012 Full Review Moira MacDonald Seattle Times "Declaration of War" movingly chronicles a unique and terrible fight: that of two parents against the cancer that has invaded the brain of their 18-month-old son. Rated: 3.5/4 Feb 16, 2012 Full Review Scott Nye Battleship Pretension I'm not at all surprised to learn the story came from Donzelli and Elkaïm's real-life experience, as all the details feel so lived, so immediate. I am doubly impressed, then... Mar 16, 2021 Full Review Myriam Ghattas Daily News Egypt Donzelli and Elkam infuse their script with a fair share of humor while dealing with a morbid subject without ever becoming irreverent or exploitative. Feb 13, 2017 Full Review Erick Weber NECN The raddest Lifetime movie you'll ever see. Rated: A- Aug 24, 2012 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Audience Member Welcome to indie film hell, where childhood cancer is stylized in a way that makes it seem twee and inconsequential. It's fine if a director, known or unknown, wants to make something for the hipster set. Go ahead, pack in all the playful technique, skinny jeans, and Sigur Ros music you want into your stupid movie. What's unfortunate-and I'd argue just plain wrong-is when gravely serious subjects are handled in such a manner. That's where Valérie Donzelli's Declaration of War comes in. It's not hard to guess where this film is going once its main characters introduce themselves to us as Romeo (Jérémie Elkaïm) and Juliette (Donzelli herself), though the very beginning is a framing device set a half-decade after these two first meet. Juliette is in the hospital with her son, Adam. The doctor calls his name, and we see her waiting patiently while he undergoes a CAT scan. Cut to a party, presumably years earlier, where Juliette is fighting off the unwanted advancements of several potential suitors before she catches the eye of Romeo. Their courtship is a quick one, and before you know it, Juliette is giving birth to a chubby baby boy. Neither she nor Romeo is quite ready to be a parent, but they're both admirably committed to their new duties. Things get complicated, however, when Adam begins to show signs of slow development. They take him in for a checkup, and their pediatrician's concerns are serious enough that a neurologist is called upon for advice. He locates a large, aggressive brain tumor, which requires immediate surgery and extensive chemotherapy. It's going to be a long fight, they're told, but the boy can win it if Romeo and Juliette keep it together and be strong for their son. It doesn't take long for Declaration of War to lose you (the framing device strips the narrative as a whole of any real dramatic tension), but the magnitude of its crimes don't make themselves evident until the film's second half. This is when the film's narrator skips entire chapters of Romeo and Juliette's lives, when house music accompanies Juliette while she receives awful news, and when the couple, while apart, telepathically sings the same forlorn song, stealing a page out of PTA's Magnolia playbook. Donzelli is clearly attempting to make familiar material edgier-something that should be encouraged-but she goes about it all wrong. Her off-kilter flourishes strip the film of any sincerity. In other words, we watch only because it's on, not because we feel anything. The performances are mostly competent, and the two leads have decent chemistry (maybe because Elkaïm and Donzelli, in fact, have a child together). The film also succeeds at depicting the way large families cope with tragedies like this. The scenes showing Romeo and Juliette relaying bits of news to their parents and friends are some of Declaration of War's best. Beyond that, however, there's little to get excited about here. It's a film that takes risks and has big ideas, but they come across as phony. With so many great foreign titles out there, why waste your time with something like this? http://www.johnlikesmovies.com/declaration-of-war-review/ Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 02/10/23 Full Review Audience Member I love this movie. Its fresh and deals with a difficult subject in a way that could have gone so wrong had the director chose to drown us in grief & tears. And in the end, the happy ending carries that much more impact. Plus the cutest baby ever!!! Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 02/02/23 Full Review Audience Member Warm, passionate, truthful and sad peon to public health and private solidarity full of tenderness and strength. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/27/23 Full Review Audience Member WOW what a gem of a movie!!!! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/18/23 Full Review Audience Member Oh my, oh my! What a cinematic gem it is. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/17/23 Full Review Audience Member Pour la scène où tous apprennent le diagnostic Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/06/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Declaration of War

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Cast & Crew

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Movie Info

Synopsis The idyllic life of a French couple (Valérie Donzelli, Jérémie Elkaïm) shatters when they learn that their young son has a brain tumor.
Director
Valérie Donzelli
Producer
Edouard Weil
Screenwriter
Valérie Donzelli, Jérémie Elkaïm
Production Co
Rectangle Productions, Wild Bunch
Genre
Drama
Original Language
French (France)
Release Date (Theaters)
Jan 27, 2012, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Feb 18, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA)
$46.2K
Runtime
1h 40m
Aspect Ratio
Scope (2.35:1)
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