Ballina Film Club’s autumn/winter programme concludes this week with the seasonal offering A Christmas Tale on Tuesday December 22 at 8pm.
Arnaud Desplechin’s film is a French comedy-drama about a dysfunctional family that reunites for the Christmas holiday. Three generations of the Vuillard family are brought together for a Christmas weekend. Estrangement, mental illness, and promiscuity arise as issues during the reunion, as the family members seek peace with one another.
Starring Catherine Deneuve in the role of matriarch Junon Vuillard, the film features strong support from Jean-Paul Rousillon as her much older husband, Mathieu Almaric as their prodigal son, and Emmanuelle Devos as the Jewish fiancée the son brings home for Christmas. Dark secrets are unlocked, words draw more blood than punches, and Desplechin turns one family into a universe that resembles life as a startling work of art. Admission is €7 (seasonal membership rates available ).
Ballina Arts Centre will be closed for the Christmas period from Wednesday December 23, and the centre will re-open on Monday, January 4 with a number of exciting highlights coming in the New Year.
