The Thorn in the Heart

"An affectionate but revealing portrait of filmmaker Michel Gondry's aunt. This deceptively simple documentary tribute to Michel Gondry's formidable great aunt sees him eschewing most of the stylistic flourishes of his earlier work whilst holding on to the affectionate tone that has characterised films such as The Science of Sleep and Be Kind Rewind. Clearly both an important figure in Gondry's life and something of the family matriarch, Aunt Suzette worked as a schoolteacher in rural France from the early 1950s to the mid-80s. Returning to some of her schools during filming proves a mixed... experience – she finds not all have survived the country's social changes; and the reminiscences of her former students and colleagues are similarly equivocal, building a picture of a woman who was committed to her pupils, but firm in her treatment of them. Gondry has a considerable archive of wonderful family home movies to draw on, mostly filmed by Suzette's son Jean-Yves, and it is the troubled relationship between mother and son which provides the most compelling and at times uncomfortable viewing. Gondry is a gentle investigator, albeit one who doesn't shy away from awkward moments, and his love for this proud, strong woman is never in question.
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