The Thorn in the Heart

PG

Released Apr 2, 2010

1h 26m

Documentary

List

52%

Tomatometer

31 Reviews

48%

Audience Score

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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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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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

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Alistair Harkness

Scotsman

Captures the complexities at the heart of any family, with great generosity of spirit.

Rated: 3/5

Dec 13, 2010

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nikita y

People are so selfish that they can't even respect this man's heartwarming dedication to his beloved aunt.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

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

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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

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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

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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

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Michel Gondry

Director

Michel Gondry

Actor

Paul Gondry

Actor

Guillaume Le Braz

Actor

Michel Gondry

Writer

Georges Bermann

Producer

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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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