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The Thorn in the Heart

Play trailer Poster for The Thorn in the Heart PG Released Apr 2, 2010 1h 26m Documentary Play Trailer Watchlist
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52% Tomatometer 31 Reviews 48% Popcornmeter 250+ Ratings
Filmmaker Michel Gondry chronicles the life of his aunt, Suzette Gondry, and her relationship with her son, Jean-Yves.

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The Thorn in the Heart

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Critics Consensus

Michel Gondry's directorial style is as bewitching as ever, but his intensely personal subject matter may leave viewers wondering why The Thorn in the Heart didn't stay in the family.

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Critics Reviews

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Tom Eagar Little White Lies The exploration of the complicated relationship between mother and son provides the most compelling, emotionally grounded moments within the film. Rated: 3/5 Dec 10, 2010 Full Review Peter Bradshaw Guardian Even as a fan, I found it very self-indulgent. Rated: 2/5 Dec 9, 2010 Full Review David Jenkins Time Out Its rambling structure, peppered with lyrical, magical-realist asides, may not be to all tastes, but there's a sense that Gondry wants this to be more than an eccentric personal portrait... Rated: 4/5 Dec 9, 2010 Full Review Ivan Radford CineVue The Thorn in the Heart is interesting but never involving. It's a home movie in the truest sense - something for Michel Gondry to watch in his living room, not to play in public. Rated: 2/5 Nov 6, 2018 Full Review Mike Edwards What Culture This is an interesting vignette. Even if nostalgia and flights of fancy cause Gondry to lose focus. Rated: 2.5/5 Feb 1, 2011 Full Review Alistair Harkness Scotsman Captures the complexities at the heart of any family, with great generosity of spirit. Rated: 3/5 Dec 13, 2010 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Audience Member A blown up home movie, it's difficult to see how this would be of interest to anyone outside Gondrys family circle. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 01/12/23 Full Review john m Not sure if anyone cares about this film except for Gondry and family as it's just a home video with interviews about their family stories. Most audiences will get bored in a minute. It's not interesting except when it dives in to some traumatic family drama, but I can appreciate a passion project of such. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member Michel Gondry thought that his Aunt's life would make an interesting documentary. It doesn't. Rated 1 out of 5 stars 02/01/23 Full Review Audience Member Michel Gondry has possibly made the greatest home movie ever, but like all other home movies, it doesn't do that much for people who aren't related. But to see where some of his inspiration as an artist came from is a very rare touch that people seldom see with great artists. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/18/23 Full Review Audience Member Difficult to evaluate - as personal filmmaking, it's fine, but it's hard to understand what Gondry thinks audiences outside his family are supposed to get from this. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 01/25/23 Full Review walter m "The Thorn in the Heart" is a documentary from Michel Gondry about his aunt Suzette, concentrating on her teaching career and the people whose lives she has touched over the decades. Just because the material is slight does not stop Gondry from using it to explore some of his favorite themes including memory while having fun with the documentary genre itself, as the movie becomes very meta at times through heightened transparency. One example is the recreation of the infamous blocked bathroom door incident. The highlight for me was the model train set that was used in chapter titles which is a very nice touch especially if you are watching this documentary on a train as I was. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Read all reviews
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The Thorn in the Heart

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Movie Info

Synopsis Filmmaker Michel Gondry chronicles the life of his aunt, Suzette Gondry, and her relationship with her son, Jean-Yves.
Director
Michel Gondry
Producer
Georges Bermann
Screenwriter
Michel Gondry
Distributor
Oscilloscope Pictures
Rating
PG
Genre
Documentary
Original Language
French (France)
Release Date (Theaters)
Apr 2, 2010, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Sep 24, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA)
$7.0K
Runtime
1h 26m
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