L'épine dans le coeur

Prior to his biggest project yet, which is the superhero movie THE GREEN HORNET, due for release early next year, Michel Gondry shot a film that might be his most personal to date. THE THORN IN THE HEART revolves around his aunt Suzette, a resolute former teacher who has worked in various schools in rural France between 1952 and 1986. While she did pour all her passion into her pedagogical work, she failed to establish a true bond with her son Jean-Yves, whom she considers a weakling. As he follows the matriarch and her son with his camera, Gondry conducts interviews and complements his fresh images with old Super 8 footage from the family archive. THE THORN IN THE HEART would not be a true Gondry film, though, were it not for his original ideas and lovingly crafted do-it-yourself aesthetics: he reenacts his aunt's moves to new residences in elaborately designed model railroad landscapes, and he projects an old Jean Gabin film on the ruins of a former school. A visual gem and a complex film about a strong woman.