Chicken with Plums

Since his beloved violin was broken, Nasser Ali Khan, one of the most renowned musicians of his day, has lost all taste for life. Finding no instrument worthy of replacing it, he decides to confine himself to bed to await death.

Story line
Nasser-Ali, a talented musician, loses the will to live after his wife breaks his beloved violin during an argument. He searches for a replacement, and finding none that sounds quite the same, he vows to die. Eight days later, he does. This is the story of his last week of life, where we see flashbacks and flash forwards of his previous life and his children's futures. We also see appearances of a nude Sophia Loren as well as the angel of death, Azarel. As we see his life, we realize exactly why he chose to end it and the profundity of this choice.

User Review
Back in June, I was almost certain after watching The Tree of Life, it was locked in for my #1 movie of the year. I was contemplating throwing it into my top 10 of all time, then top 20, then it ended up somewhere in my 80s or 90s. I saw it a second time and felt just as strong about it. There was no way anything was touching it from its rightful spot this year. Until I saw this at TIFF in September.

This is pure french cinema, mixed in with a unique and wonderful vision that brings a fairy tale to life. The story is miraculous, the cinematography is beautiful to look at, the acting is superb, the editing and all the techs are sublime. There's really nothing bad about this film, at all. It's pure entertainment. A wonderful translation from word to screen.

After having seen Persepolis, I wasn't fully aware of just how talented Vincent Paronnaud and Marjane Satrapi (who's become one of my favourite female directors) are. Their ability to suck the viewer in and take them on a brilliant ride of magic and surrealism, while at the same time presenting a very powerful social and political commentary, has been more than affirmed in this film.

Each frame is so carefully crafted that you literally forget you're watching a film. It's an experience like no other, and I cannot wait to be able to see this wonderful gem again.