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Chicken with Plums (Poulet aux prunes) is a live-action adaptation of Marjane Satrapi’s graphic novel of the same name. It reteams Satrapi with Vincent Paronnaud, who previously collaborated with her on the totally boss animated adaptation of Persepolis. Here in Chicken with Plums, we get to see the story of Nasser-Ali, a genius musician who decides to end his life because he cannot replace a broken violin. As we learn in flashbacks and flash forwards, the violin is just a tipping point for a life full of disappointments.
This was one of my favorite movies at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival. It blends fantasy, memory, melancholy, and absurd dark comedy into a fabulist film full of highs and lows. And yet Chicken with Plums always maintains a sad undercurrent even during its magical, whimsical moments — it’s like a chronically depressed Jeunet/Caro film about the emotional lives of artists.
Chicken with Plums will be released in limited theaters on August 17th.
[Via The Film Stage]