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The Thorn in the Heart

Play trailer Poster for The Thorn in the Heart PG 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 12/10/2010
3/5
The exploration of the complicated relationship between mother and son provides the most compelling, emotionally grounded moments within the film. Go to Full Review
Peter Bradshaw Guardian 12/09/2010
2/5
Even as a fan, I found it very self-indulgent. Go to Full Review
David Jenkins Time Out 12/09/2010
4/5
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... Go to Full Review
Ivan Radford CineVue 11/06/2018
2/5
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. Go to Full Review
Mike Edwards What Culture 02/01/2011
2.5/5
This is an interesting vignette. Even if nostalgia and flights of fancy cause Gondry to lose focus. Go to Full Review
Alistair Harkness Scotsman 12/13/2010
3/5
Captures the complexities at the heart of any family, with great generosity of spirit. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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09/22/2016 A blown up home movie, it's difficult to see how this would be of interest to anyone outside Gondrys family circle. See more 11/20/2015 Michel Gondry thought that his Aunt's life would make an interesting documentary. It doesn't. See more 10/22/2012 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. See more 08/25/2011 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. See more Walter M @Harlequin68 07/05/2011 "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. See more 03/23/2011 This was an inspiring little documentary about Michel's Gondry's aunt Suzette and other members of his family. I felt like a voyeur watching it. The opening scene of the family sharing a meal had me doubled over, loud in a laughing fit. I was caught-up in a story about kraut and antacids. The rest, sprinkled with rudimentary, but colorful special effects, was personal, and almost far from boring. Suzette reminisces with the voice of a poet and the wit of a mind set far from being asleep and apart from the world. I see why Gondry made her the centerpiece for his project. She is an engine for the wheels which carry his family along with pride. See more Read all reviews
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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