Racconto di Natale

A Christmas Tale (French: Un conte de Noël) is a 2008 French Christmas comedy-drama film directed by Arnaud Desplechin, who co-wrote the screenplay with Emmanuel Bourdieu. Produced by Pascal Caucheteux for Why Not Productions, the film features an ensemble cast including Catherine Deneuve, Jean-Paul Roussillon, Mathieu Amalric, Anne Consigny, Melvil Poupaud, Emmanuelle Devos, Chiara Mastroianni, and Hippolyte Girardot.

Set in Roubaix, the film follows the estranged members of the Vuillard family, who reunite for Christmas after their matriarch, Junon (Deneuve), is diagnosed with leukemia and requires a bone marrow transplant. The gathering revives longstanding resentments, particularly between Junon's daughter Elizabeth (Consigny) and her estranged son Henri (Amalric), while the family confronts the consequences of an earlier tragedy involving the death of Junon's eldest child. The narrative explores familial relationships, illness, grief, and reconciliation through a combination of comedy and drama.

A Christmas Tale premiered on 16 May 2008 at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival, where it competed for the Palme d'Or. It was released theatrically in France on 21 May 2008 and in the United States on 14 November 2008 by IFC Films. The film received generally positive reviews, particularly for its ensemble performances and portrayal of family relationships. At Cannes, Deneuve received a special jury award recognizing her contribution to cinema. At the 34th César Awards in 2009, the film received nine nominations, including Best Film, Best Director, and Best Original Screenplay, winning the Best Supporting Actor award for Roussillon. The film has since been recognized in retrospective rankings of Christmas and French cinema, placing fifth on Metacritic's list of the best 21st-century holiday films, 26th on Rotten Tomatoes' list of the 100 best Christmas films of all time, and 71st on Time Out's list of the 100 best French films of all time.