Declaration of War (2011)

When their young son is diagnosed with a brain tumor, young parents Roméo and Juliette unite in the fight for his survival.

Director:

Valérie Donzelli

Writers:

Valérie Donzelli, Jérémie Elkaïm

Stars:

Valérie Donzelli, Jérémie Elkaïm, César Desseix

10 wins & 11 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Valérie Donzelli	...	Juliette
Jérémie Elkaïm	...	Roméo Benaïm
César Desseix	...	Adam Benaïm à 18 mois
Gabriel Elkaïm	...	Adam Benaïm à 8 ans
Brigitte Sy	...	Claudia Benaïm - la mère de Roméo
Elina Löwensohn	...	Alex - la compagne de Claudia
Michèle Moretti	...	Geneviève - la mère de Juliette
Philippe Laudenbach	...	Philippe - le père de Juliette
Bastien Bouillon	...	Nikos
Béatrice de Staël	...	Le docteur Ghislaine Prat - la pédiatre
Anne Le Ny	...	Le docteur Fitoussi - la neuropédiatre
Frédéric Pierrot	...	Le professeur Sainte-Rose
Elisabeth Dion	...	Le docteur Kalifa de l'IGR
Pauline Gaillard	...	Un narrateur (voice)
Philippe Barassat	...	Un narrateur (voice)

Storyline

Roméo and Juliette are two young actors. They fall in love at first sight, move in together and make a baby. A love story and the founding of a home like millions of others. Except that their little boy, Adam, behaves abnormally. The young parents try hard to persuade themselves that everything is okay but, with the passing of time, they cannot delude themselves anymore : their son has a problem. Their fears are unfortunately confirmed : Adam suffers from a malignant brain tumor. From now on, war is declared. A war against illness. A war against Death. A war against despair.

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Plot Keywords:

chemotherapy | child with cancer | cancer treatment | desperately ill child | child development | 

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Taglines:

All together!

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site [France]

Country:

France

Language:

French

Release Date:

31 August 2011 (France)

Also Known As:

Declaración de guerra

Filming Locations:

Corniche, Marseille, Bouches-du-Rhône, France

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$12,791, 29 January 2012

Gross USA:

$59,100

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$5,901,092

Company Credits

Production Co:

Rectangle Productions, Wild Bunch, Canal+

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film takes its inspiration from what actually happened to Valérie Donzelli and Jérémie Elkaïm, whose child fell seriously ill.

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Crazy Credits

The end credits start with: "Pour Gabriel" (For Gabriel) and "Pour les médicins, les infirmières et l'hôpital public" (For the doctors, the nurses and the public hospital).

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Connections

References The Jungle Book (1967)

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Soundtracks

Si tu reviens chez moi
Performed by 5 Gentlemen
(Riviera Records, 1966)

User Reviews

This film is better than you might expect-a wonder of intimacy

I saw this movie in a nearly completely empty theater on a Saturday night! Not good when you consider that there is so little else going on in the artistic desert of America. I just love the fact that this film is so intimate, so close yet the viewer is not left with a feeling of voyeurism. Rather it is a story of despair, hope, and almost surreal disconnections. The actors are the kind of people you know in advance. They are from a very naturalistic acting school that has a feeling of realism and joy that is affecting and not over done. The story is difficult to watch, but somehow drives along. I am sure an American company will re-make this and I am sure I will skip it. It is not that the French do this type of movie so well. It is that these actors are so much more interesting than the current crop of American standard bearers. I recommend this, but hurry, before it disappears.