Chicken With Plums

Offbeat French film from creators of Persepolis Only less animation.
This is a review of the DVD version of the film:

This is a fine example of the difference between well-made French films as most US films, including small "independent films". The Director makes you think and entertains you at the same time. When I saw that this film was from the same filmmakers as Persepolis - the wonderful animated graphic novel - I wanted to see it. I wasn't expecting as much live action as is here but there is animation included this time as well. Both were based on graphic novels by Marjane Satrapi and co-directed by her and Vincent Paronnaud. The plot sounds boring. A violinist's wife breaks his violin and he decides he wants to die. So he sits in his room and waits for the Angel of Death to come. And he waits for days. That's I'll I'm telling you. As my fellow reviewer Paul Allaer has written in his review, to tell you more will spoil the fun. But if you like to put yourself in the hands of creative French filmmakers you will enjoy the "tale" of...

Bittersweet and deeply moving
This movie was originally released at the 2011 Venice film festival and I have no idea how or why this movie only now finds its way to the movie theatre here in Cincinnati. I went to see it right away this past weekend, as I doubt this will be playing a long time in the theatre.

"Chicken With Plums" (2011 release from France; 90 min.) is based on the graphic novel of the same name. It brings the story of violinist Nasser Ali, set in Tehran in 1958. It takes a while to figure out what exactly is happening but eventually a picture emerges: Nasser Ali, upset with things in life (we will later in the movie learn what exactly), has decided to die. After considering his options (all of which he finds too gruesome), he simply retires to his room, inviting the Angel of Death to come and take him. But the Angel of Death apparently is busy with other things, and as the days go by, Nasser Ali reflects on his life, and we learn of his erstwhile true love, a woman named Irane...

Dark, light, and romantic surrealism in a French film reminiscent of Amelie
Although it took several months from when I first heard about this movie until I got around to actually watching it, I now know that it was a mistake. The review that caught my interest said that it was a film good for people who liked the 2001 movie Amelie; it is a claim that I would now fully endorse. Other reviewers have been comparing the film to Persepolis. This makes sense as the filmmakers are the same for both, but to me the Amelie comparison is more telling.

The setting is Iran in the late 1950's, and the movie is rather colorless. However, it has a fanciful, and romantic, yet dark, quality that comes from a story of a man looking back on his life after deciding to commit suicide because of a broken violin. A film that would be easy to give up on at first, the slow start soon gives way to a heart-breaking story revealed bit-by-bit.

I rated it four stars because, despite being...

Click to Editorial Reviews