A Christmas Tale 2008

Roubaix, December 2006. At the heart of the family is Junon Vuillard, the steadfast matriarch, who is married to Abel. Despite her strong will helping her family endure hardships, this strength has sown seeds of resentment among her children. While Junon remains dignified and composed, her husband, though elderly and somewhat overweight, embodies clarity, acceptance, and unwavering affection for their family, holding the fragmented household together, albeit in a tense manner.

The couple has three children, all in their 30s. The eldest is Elizabeth, a thriving playwright, who is partnered with Claude, also successful in their field. Their only child, 16-year-old Paul, struggles with mental illness, requiring potent medication to manage his condition. Then there’s Henri, the middle child, a heavy drinker with a history of conflict with the family. He has recently started dating Faunia, who offers him some solace. Lastly, Ivan, the youngest, is married to Sylvia and has two sons, Basile and Baptiste. A close family friend and cousin, Simon, raised with them after losing his parents, works at Abel’s plant but also pursues artistry on the side. His battle with alcoholism often leads him into trouble. Each man once vied for Sylvia’s affection, but she eventually wed Ivan, believing he was her true love. The family is further haunted by the memory of a deceased child, Joseph, who passed away from leukemia at six, an event that significantly shaped their lives and dynamics.

Six years prior, Henri found himself in deep financial distress, prompting Elizabeth to cover his debts but on the condition of severing ties with her, intending to exclude him from family functions. This unresolved tension lingers among family members as they speculate on her motives.

As Christmas approaches, Junon receives heartbreaking news: she has acute myeloid leukemia and can only be saved by a bone marrow transplant. The family’s return to her home spirals into chaos filled with quarrels as she requests them to be tested to determine if they can donate marrow. The atmosphere becomes charged as Elizabeth clashes with Henri, who is wrestling with alcoholism and hiding Paul’s essential medication. Meanwhile, Paul grapples with the fear that a blood test might expose Claude as not being his real father. Henri stubbornly declines the test, expressing his indifference toward Junon.

On December 23, Rosaimée, a friend of Abel’s late mother, arrives for dinner, bringing with her the history of a potential romantic connection with Abel’s mother. Rosaimée shares a revelation with Sylvia, claiming that Simon withdrew from her because he thought she would find happiness with Ivan, which culminates in feelings of betrayal for Sylvia. Amidst this turmoil, Henri, after undergoing testing, learns he’s a suitable donor and resolves to help his mother, while Simon spirals into heavier drinking. Sylvia confesses her awareness of Simon’s feelings for her, leading to a passionate encounter between them.

On Christmas Day, Abel and Elizabeth engage in a deep conversation regarding her persistent depression, prompted by Abel’s reading of a passage from Friedrich Nietzsche’s On the Genealogy of Morality. In this introspective moment, he suggests that Elizabeth’s fear of death underlies her cautious demeanor. As family tensions reach new heights, Ivan discovers Sylvia’s infidelity with Simon, but he appears unfazed.

As the holiday unfolds, Paul seeks support from Henri, who positively influences his mental health, leading to a deeper bond between them. Henri eventually donates his bone marrow to Junon, yet she expresses a foreboding conviction that her body may reject the transplant. Elizabeth contemplates the likelihood of her mother’s survival while Henri, tossing a coin in the hospital, guards the outcome as a harbinger of their uncertain future.