Oscilloscope Laboratories announced today that it has acquired North American distribution rights to Michel Gondry’s documentary, The Thorn in the Heart (“L’Epine dans le Coeur”), a personal look at the life of Gondry family matriarch, his aunt Suzette Gondry, and her relationship with her son, Jean-Yves. The Thorn in the Heart had its world premiere screening in the official selection at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival. Oscilloscope will open the film in theaters, with a DVD and digital release to follow.
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. The film was produced and financed by Partizan Films.
Michel: “So I called up my best friend Etienne and told him, ‘Guess who’s distributing my documentary about my aunt?’ and he said, ‘who?’ and I said, ‘MCA from Beastie Boys’ and Etienne said, ‘The Beastie Boy bought your Aunt’s documentary?! Get the f*** out of here!’ and I said, ‘Yeah!!!’
Adam Yauch, head of Oscilloscope Laboratories said, “Michel is one of the most innovative and creative people in the world. So it’s great to see him making a sincere doc on a subject that is so close to his heart. (no pun intended).”
