I thought that this was a tight film, with fine performances. The fact that I couldn't stand any of the self-righteous jerks that permeate it didn't really distract from it. I learned a long time ago that films can have weak and even evil figures who are still really interesting. This family has done so much harm to its members that nothing is really going to repair it. The figure we care the most about has a death sentence She sets things in motion, but has no motivation other than that. The dysfunctional bunch clashes and bumps and sobs and carries on and the chips are still falling. The free spirit who has been thrown out of the family, basically, is the one who manages to eventually leave unscathed, but how he gets there is through his own general disinterest and insensitivity. Yet we do admire his spirit. The fact that it is Christmas does nothing other than force people together. See this if you don't mind feeling kind of bad afterward.
Review of A Christmas Tale
