Storyline

Having run away twenty-one years ago, Carlotta (Marion Cotillard) is back out of the blue. Ismael (Mathieu Amalric) has been busy rebuilding a life for himself next to Sylvia (Charlotte Gainsbourg) while working on his next feature film. As Ismael's trials and tribulations unfurl, so do those of the main character of his film: the idle, funny and reckless diplomat Ivan Dédalus (Louis Garrel). The character is a nod to the ghost of another of Desplechin's creations, the brother of Paul Dédalus, three-time hero of "My Sex Life - or How I Got Into an Argument," "A Christmas Tale" and "My Golden Days." A film within a film - and then some, Desplechin layers narrative upon narrative. With ISMAEL'S GHOSTS, Desplechin returns once again to the past, creating film after film as his way of stepping back in time, and proving yet again that his brand of genius lies in his ability to find light in the darkest of places.—Magnolia Pictures

Plot Keywords

tel aviv israel, telephone booth, phone booth, sex scene, female full frontal nudity, female frontal nudity, rear nudity, female rear nudity, female nudity, nudity, jealousy, movie director, portrait, attic, gun, hen, observatory, drugs, prison, doctor

Short Review

Unfortunately all the metafictional layering only highlights the lack of engagement at the center of the story, the three stars acting up a storm but barely acknowledging each other.

Trailer

Streaming Service

1. Amazon Video : Rent from $1.99, Or $0.00 with a Prime membership

2. Apple iTunes : Track Price: 9.99, Track Rental Price: 3.99, Collection Price: 9.99, Track Hd Price: 12.99, Track Hd Rental Price: 3.99, Collection Hd Price: 12.99

3. Vudu : [SD - Buy: 9.99, Rent: 2.99] [HDX - Buy: 12.99, Rent: 3.99]