The Thorn in the Heart (2010)

53% of critics liked it
(30 reviews)
52% of users liked it
(380 ratings)

Filmmaker Michel Gondry turns from the playful semi-surrealism of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and The Science of Sleep to the personal story of a beloved family member in this documentary. Suzette Gondry is Michel's aunt and a retired schoolteacher; she educated children in rural… More Filmmaker Michel Gondry turns from the playful semi-surrealism of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and The Science of Sleep to the personal story of a beloved family member in this documentary. Suzette Gondry is Michel's aunt and a retired schoolteacher; she educated children in rural communities in France from 1952 to 1986. While Suzette was committed to the education of all her students, she was a particularly close with one in particular -- her son, Jean-Yves, with whom she's had a loving but sometimes combative relationship. Michel accompanies Suzette on a journey in which she visits the many schools where she taught -- or the sites where those schools once stood -- and speaks of her experiences. She also meets some of her former students, and it's clear they recall Suzette as a woman with a kind heart but a strong will, and her determination earned her the enmity of a few of her charges. L'Epine dans le Coeur (aka The Thorn in the Heart) was an official selection at the 2009 BFI London Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 26 min.
Directed By: Michel Gondry
Written By: Michel Gondry
Genres: Documentary, Special Interest

In Theaters: Apr 2, 2010 Wide
On DVD: Aug 10, 2010
Studio: Oscilloscope Pictures

Critic Reviews

Sheri Linden, Los Angeles Times
Brimming with affection and beautifully shot, but it builds a flimsy case for why it matters.
David Edelstein, New York Magazine
This is an extraordinary film.
Mike Hale, New York Times
As Mr. Gondry unfolds the story of her life, and of her inability to connect with the son she sees as weak, you can understand why it would consume a familyâ(TM)s interest, but youâ(TM)re not sure why he thought it would pique ours.
V.A. Musetto, New York Post
The film is well-constructed, as one would expect from Gondry, but it offers little reason for anyone outside the family circle to care about dear old Tante Suzette.
Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly
You can see that he meant it to be a toasty slice of nostalgia - and for Gondry, it surely is. For us, The Thorn in the Heart is more like a home movie of a family reunion we weren't invited to.
Karina Longworth, Village Voice
Watching Thorn is like being helplessly locked out of an inside joke.
Mike Edwards, What Culture
This is an interesting vignette. Even if nostalgia and flights of fancy cause Gondry to lose focus.
Alistair Harkness, Scotsman
Captures the complexities at the heart of any family, with great generosity of spirit.
Tom Eagar, Little White Lies
The exploration of the complicated relationship between mother and son provides the most compelling, emotionally grounded moments within the film.
Peter Bradshaw, Guardian [UK]
Even as a fan, I found it very self-indulgent.
David Jenkins, Time Out
Its rambling structure, peppered with lyrical, magical-realist asides, may not be to all tastes, but there's a sense that Gondry wants this to be more than an eccentric personal portrait...
Philip Wilding, Empire Magazine
A touching insight into a family's inner workings.
Jeffrey Chen, ReelTalk Movie Reviews
We can recognize the portrait for its intimacy and appreciation of the challenges of a life lived, but it doesn't have any other real pull.
Sean Axmaker, Seanax.com
(Gondry's) playfulness keeps the film buoyant even as it delves into the thickets of emotional complications of family lives.
Stan Hall, Oregonian
Gondry's masterful technique and subtle genre-tweaking almost make one forget that there isn't much drama to the story...
Cole Smithey, ColeSmithey.com
Anyone can make a crappy home movie, but it takes an especially self-important one to think anyone other than their own family wants to watch it.
Annlee Ellingson, Moving Pictures Magazine
Thorn is Gondry's most personal film, so personal as to be indulgent. But what emerges is his sincere affection for his aunt and a moving emotional experience.
Avi Offer, NYC Movie Guru
Stylishly filmed, [but] too slight, lazy and not nearly as moving or insightful as it could have been with more piercing and provocative interviews.
Jennifer Merin, About.com
Like a guest invited to a family reunion, you feel a bit uncomfortable, question why you're there and wonder how long the event will last.
Pam Grady, Boxoffice Magazine
The movie rarely flags, but it is hard to get past the notion that what is onscreen is nothing more than an artfully made home movie and that the Gondry family saga is no more interesting than that of the average loving, if somewhat dysfunctional family.

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Walter M

"The Thorn in the Heart" is a documentary from Michel Gondry about his aunt Suzette, concentrating on her teaching career and the people whose lives she has touched over the decades. Just because the material is slight does not stop Gondry from using it to explore some of… More
"The Thorn in the Heart" is a documentary from Michel Gondry about his aunt Suzette, concentrating on her teaching career and the people whose lives she has touched over the decades. Just because the material is slight does not stop Gondry from using it to explore some of his favorite themes including memory while having fun with the documentary genre itself, as the movie becomes very meta at times through heightened transparency. One example is the recreation of the infamous blocked bathroom door incident. The highlight for me was the model train set that was used in chapter titles which is a very nice touch especially if you are watching this documentary on a train as I was.

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