Declaration of War (2012)

85% of critics liked it
(40 reviews)
69% of users liked it
(1,099 ratings)

The opening night film at this year's Critics Week at the Cannes Film Festival, this exuberant and deeply moving film follows a new couple, Romeo (Jeremie Elkaim) and Juliette (Valerie Donzelli), who must face the ultimate test when they discover their new born child is very ill. Gathering their… More The opening night film at this year's Critics Week at the Cannes Film Festival, this exuberant and deeply moving film follows a new couple, Romeo (Jeremie Elkaim) and Juliette (Valerie Donzelli), who must face the ultimate test when they discover their new born child is very ill. Gathering their friends and family together, they confront the ordeal together as a form of warfare. Donzelli infuses the story with unexpected verve using a host of cinematic techniques, music and heartbreaking performances that results in a film about a contemporary couple who surprises even themselves with their ability to fight not only for the life of their child, but for each other. -- (C) IFC

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Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 40 min.
Directed By: Valérie Donzelli
Written By: Jérémie Elkaïm, Valérie Donzelli
Genres: Drama, Art House & International, Comedy, Special Interest

In Theaters: Jan 27, 2012 Limited
Studio: IFC Films

Critic Reviews

Ann Hornaday, Washington Post
True to its title, "Declaration of War" is a visceral, forthright visit to the front lines of battle, where superhuman courage is called for as life-or-death skirmishes turn into a long slog of survival.
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune
The subject matter is as serious as can be, yet the style is vibrant, energetic and engaging -- often tense, but without a trace of woe-is-me.
Wesley Morris, Boston Globe
As ponderous and overwrought as a film hogged by a couple of young hipsters named Roméo and Juliette can be.
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
The film may even be too upbeat, especially the ending, which is too easy and contrived. Yet there's real emotion here...
Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer
Declaration of War feels very present, very alive. And it's very much worth seeing.
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times
A vibrant and heartfelt French film that captures the mood and the memories of young parents who found themselves in the trenches fighting for the life of their child.
Ed Gibbs, Empire Magazine Australasia
Donzelli's film is an incredibly brave one, given its subject matter and biographical nature, and is presented in a creative yet digestible way.
Andrew L. Urban, Urban Cinefile
The underlying drama holds the film together even when self indulgence and the rawness of inexperience weakens the film
John Beifuss, Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN)
Horror movies excepted, it's the rare film that suggests the presence of a child doesn't Make Everything Better, as if by magic.
Tricia Olszewski, Washington City Paper
The hippest kid-with-cancer movie you'll ever see.
Sarah Boslaugh, Playback:stl
... feels like a parody of any number of light French comedies, one in which the most important point is that the central characters remain beautiful (and surrounded by charming and attractive friends) ...
Joe Williams, St. Louis Post-Dispatch
The tonal shifts, the "Amelie"-style voiceover and the punk-retro soundtrack may jar some viewers who expect uninterrupted violins, but "Declaration of War" is alternative therapy that really works.
Laura Clifford, Reeling Reviews
...the most unique 'child with cancer' movie in the history of cinema. This is an audacious film, with obvious roots in the French New Wave, particularly Godard
Moira MacDonald, Seattle Times
"Declaration of War" movingly chronicles a unique and terrible fight: that of two parents against the cancer that has invaded the brain of their 18-month-old son.
Shawn Levy, Oregonian
You can sense the deep investment Donzelli and Elkaïm have in what they're doing, which isn't something you get at the movies every day.
Alicia Potter, Boston Phoenix
Taken as an assault against self-pity and sentimentality, this War puts up an involving, and ultimately thought-provoking, fight.
Chris Hewitt (St. Paul), St. Paul Pioneer Press
For all its narrative flourishes, what makes "Declaration" feel special is the intimacy and honesty of its depiction of good people leaning on each other as they try to hold it together.
Matt Pais, RedEye
Exhilarating ... a very, very good chronicle of something that can happen to anyone, and how to steer a ship when there's no turning back.
Chris Cabin, Filmcritic.com
The personal weight of the story is abundant but as the title infers, Donzelli's film is not an ode to anguished soul-searching in the face of that most blunt notice of mortality.
Leonard Maltin, Leonard Maltin's Picks
What makes Declaration of War even more unusual is that the stars (Valérie Donzelli and Jérémie Elkaïm) and co-writers are the real-life couple who lived through this experience;