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Almost Peaceful (2004)
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Reviews Counted: 30
Fresh: 22
Rotten:8
Average Rating: 6.6/10
Theatrical Release:Feb 14, 2004 Limited
Synopsis: Set during the largely unexplored period immediately after WWII, the film follows a group of mostly Jewish Parisians who attempt to restart their lives and rekindle their capacity for happiness in... Set during the largely unexplored period immediately after WWII, the film follows a group of mostly Jewish Parisians who attempt to restart their lives and rekindle their capacity for happiness in the shadow of unspeakable horrors. Husband and wife couple Albert (Simon Abkaryan) and Lea (Zabou Breitman) have reopened their tailoring business in central Paris, starting with the hiring of staff for their company. All of their new employees have been scarred -- in varying degrees -- by their experiences during the war. Charles (Denis Podalydes) lost his entire family to the death camps, while Maurice (Stanislas Merhar) seems to be unable to sustain long-term relationships and -- as a result -- frequents whorehouses for companionship. While all of them initially refuse to discuss their experiences during the war, they all also eventually realize that the only way to truly move forward with the rest of their lives is to come to terms with their pasts. -- © Empire Pictures [More]
Starring: Simon Abkarian, Zabou Breitman, Lubna Azabal, Clotilde Courau
Starring: Simon Abkarian, Zabou Breitman, Lubna Azabal, Clotilde Courau, Vincent Elbaz, Denis Podalydes
Director: Michel Deville
Director: Michel Deville
Studio: Empire Pictures
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Reviews for Almost Peaceful
a movie that stuffy film critics rate highly out of a sense of guilt and fear, but which never connect with real audiences, desperately waiting for something to happen
The combination of happy plot resolutions, spring-like classical music and beautiful scenery put a pleasant cap on a very humane, moving film.
There isn't much of a narrative arc in director Michel Deville's drama, just many touching little stories.
The plotting in this 2002 French drama really isn't any more deep than your typical soap opera.
Generosity and love of life are the film's hallmarks. Like the work of an expert tailor, it's done with unobtrusive skill, essential warmth and seamless grace.
There's something rather lovely about the mood and intentions of Michel Deville's French movie.
You become aware of how few movies about survivors of the Holocaust show them going about their lives, as opposed to acting out someone's idea of a Holocaust Survivor.
This is a film of half-notes and nuances, and as a chronicle of emotional survival it is infinitely inspiring.
A loving, moving portrait of Jewish survivors of the Holocaust attempting to pick up the shattered pieces of their lives in Paris.
Deville is an experienced director, and he composes this picture very neatly.
A mature and subtle film about how a community rebuilds itself after tragedy and disaster.
The characters in Almost Peaceful are pulled between a longing for what is lost and a fierce desire to live. Deville's plangent sympathy for them keeps the sentimentality honest.
As an ensemble piece offering harsh themes rendered easily digestible by spoonfuls of sweetness and compassion, Almost Peaceful is too mild and treacly to enhance Deville's reputation with American audiences.
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