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The Way I Killed My Father

Play trailer The Way I Killed My Father 2002 1h 39m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
89% Tomatometer 44 Reviews 51% Popcornmeter 250+ Ratings
Jean-Luc (Charles Berling), a successful geriatrician, enjoys a comfortable life with his wife, Isa (Natacha Régnier). He is shocked to learn that his father, Maurice (Michel Bouquet), who had abandoned the family years earlier, has died in Africa -- and is even more shocked when Maurice shows up a short time later at his house. Without explaining his presence, Maurice insinuates himself into his son's life, charming Isa but bringing Jean-Luc's buried resentment to the surface.
The Way I Killed My Father

What to Know

Critics Consensus

How I Killed My Father is a penetrating character study of father-son ties.

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Critics Reviews

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Ty Burr Boston Globe 12/19/2003
3.5/4
Hushed but scalpel-sharp drama, a movie that'll probably send men in the audience home much quieter than they arrived. Go to Full Review
Jane Sumner Dallas Morning News 12/26/2002
B
Trs French, trs fascinating psychodrama. Go to Full Review
Roger Ebert Chicago Sun-Times 11/22/2002
3.5/4
This is a harrowing movie about how parents know where all the buttons are, and how to push them. Go to Full Review
Mark Halverson Sacramento News & Review 08/07/2008
2/5
Emanuel Levy EmanuelLevy.Com 12/20/2006
B
Vet French actor Michel Bouquet renders such an astounding performance that he elevates Anne Fontaine's family melodrama way above its Freudian foundations and male menopause. Go to Full Review
Pablo Villaça Cinema em Cena 08/26/2003
3/5
A bela construo de personagens merece elogios. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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08/21/2011 How can you accept a parent's rejection? How can you imagine the most awful pain and disillusion if you lack any imagination. It's like walking on an amputated leg. See more 06/01/2008 intense performance fr berling n subtle, very refrained acting fr bouquet. i like! See more 05/17/2008 Mildly absorbing Freudian duel between father and son doctors -- med students, take note! Dad is an Albert Schweitzer swashbuckler, who has run a series of shaky clinics for the destitute of Africa. In rebellion, the son becomes a fatuous and wealthy "gerontologist" who seems to take special pleasure in telling his elderly male patients how decayed they are looking. Watch as these two compete over who's the biggest hypocrite and who **really** understands neglected daughter-in-law Natacha Regnier. See more 02/10/2008 Another glossy psychological drama from France with some great acting especially from Michel Bouquet. Not a huge amount happens but you really get inside the character's heads and the insight into the father/son relationship is handled sensitively. Thoroughly recommend this. See more 10/27/2007 Typicaly French: A story of relationships which takes a while to get your head around the plot. Beautifully shot with some fine performances See more 04/03/2007 i love very entertaining See more Read all reviews
The Way I Killed My Father

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Movie Info

Synopsis Jean-Luc (Charles Berling), a successful geriatrician, enjoys a comfortable life with his wife, Isa (Natacha Régnier). He is shocked to learn that his father, Maurice (Michel Bouquet), who had abandoned the family years earlier, has died in Africa -- and is even more shocked when Maurice shows up a short time later at his house. Without explaining his presence, Maurice insinuates himself into his son's life, charming Isa but bringing Jean-Luc's buried resentment to the surface.
Director
Anne Fontaine
Producer
Philippe Carcassonne
Screenwriter
Jacques Fieschi, Anne Fontaine
Distributor
New Yorker Films
Production Co
Ciné B
Genre
Drama
Original Language
French (France)
Release Date (Theaters)
Aug 23, 2002, Original
Box Office (Gross USA)
$145.4K
Runtime
1h 39m
Sound Mix
Dolby SR, Dolby Digital, Dolby A, Dolby Stereo
Aspect Ratio
Flat (1.85:1)