A Christmas Tale

The Vuillards are a complicated family, touched by an old tragedy that casts a pall over their lives. Years ago, Abel (Jean-Paul Roussillon) and Junon (Catherine Deneuve) had a child, Joseph, who died of a rare genetic condition. Junon has just discovered she is suffering from the same disease. Her only hope is to find a bone-marrow donor among the members of her family.

Her surviving children lead separate lives from one another, but each is scarred by Joseph's death. The eldest, Elizabeth (Anne Consigny), is a reclusive playwright. Henri (Mathieu Amalric) is a raging alcoholic who relishes confrontation. Elizabeth effectively banished him from the family years ago and has not spoken to him since. Ivan (Melvil Poupaud), the youngest, is the most unaffected of the three.

On Christmas Day, the family will reunite, and Junon will reveal the details of her future. Will she undergo chemotherapy or search for a donor? What follows is a scatological romp through the dysfunction of this middle-class family. As they attempt to reconcile the past and plan the future, their own private tragedies silently fester between them.