Review of The Thorn in the Heart (2009) by Sabra E — 23 Mar 2011

This was an inspiring little documentary about Michel's Gondry's aunt Suzette and other members of his family. I felt like a voyeur watching it. The opening scene of the family sharing a meal had me doubled over, loud in a laughing fit. I was caught-up in a story about kraut and antacids.

The rest, sprinkled with rudimentary, but colorful special effects, was personal, and almost far from boring. Suzette reminisces with the voice of a poet and the wit of a mind set far from being asleep and apart from the world. I see why Gondry made her the centerpiece for his project. She is an engine for the wheels which carry his family along with pride.