If I had bothered to “open the letter”/further read into the press book given at Cannes (see the letter after the jump) for Michel Gondry‘s latest film then perhaps my interest level would have been peaked a bit more than what it was prior to and during the fest (which was zero). Apparently, there might be a market for the the documentary/personal look at the life of a Gondry family matriarch, aunt Suzette Gondry, and her relationship with her son, Jean-Yves – Oscilloscope Laboratories certainly thinks so. L’Epine dans le Coeur (a.k.a THE THORN IN THE HEART) has been picked up by mini distributor making it their only Cannes purchase so far (in 2009) — not including the pick up (and announced during Cannes) of La Loi from master filmmaker Jules Dassin.
Michel examines Suzette’s years as a school teacher and her life in rural France. During the course of filming the documentary, Michel unearths new family stories and uses his camera to explore them in a subtle and sensitive way. Oscilloscope will open the film in theaters, with a DVD and digital release. With a name like Gondry, the co. can depend on a cult audience, I’m looking forward to seeing how the doc film will perform in the current market.
