Loved though she is, Junon is not the warmest of mothers, and her family has gotten used to her tart, occasionally disdainful opinions, such as her low regard for Sylvia, the wife of youngest son Ivan (Melvil Poupaud), a role deliciously cast with Mastroianni, Deneuve's real-life daughter.
Even more unhappy is daughter Elizabeth ("Diving Bell's" Anne Consigny), a successful playwright who is consumed both with worry about her fragile teenage son, Paul (Emile Berling), and with rage toward her ne'er-do-well brother Henri (Amalric).
Elizabeth has been so furious with her amoral hustler of a sibling and his truly impossible behavior that, five years in the past, she succeeded in having Henri banished from her sight at all family gatherings.
Amalric has been in four of Desplechin's eight films, and the bond he has with the director no doubt contributes to his standout performance here, "Christmas Tale's" most memorable despite heady competition. His alcoholic Henri is aware he is the most despised person he knows but believes with energetic conviction that not a scintilla of the opprobrium is justified. Henri drives everyone crazy, himself most of all, and Amalric's performance, perfectly pitched between comedy and tragedy, is so exact it's impossible to imagine this film without him.
Now circumstances conspire to bring the entire family together for the holidays, very much including Henri, who shows up with his bemused girlfriend, Faunia (Devos). And it's not only past grudges and Junon's illness that color the weekend but also unforeseen romantic complications, a heady mix that produces completely unpredictable results.
Not one to neglect any aspect of filmmaking, Desplechin has filled "A Christmas Tale" with variety, including characters talking to the audience, iris openings for the camera and type on the screen. But best of all is his way with the characters he's created. These infuriating, involving individuals are so resolutely themselves, so sure they are right by their own lights, they exist in a world beyond anyone's judgment. We hate to see their story end, not because these people are so happy, but because they are so human and so alive.
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kenneth.turan@latimes.com
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'A Christmas Tale'
MPAA rating: Not rated
Running time: 2 hours, 32 minutes
Playing: In limited release
