I’m Going Home

Friday, February 18 - Monday, February 21, 2011

With I’M GOING HOME, the legendary Manoel de Oliveira, at the age of 93, has created his masterpiece. The critics have already acclaimed it as one of the finest films of the decade. Warm, funny, humane and ultimately heartrending, the film is a remarkable and supremely eloquent statement by a magnificent director.

Gilbert Valence (Michel Piccoli) is a successful theater actor appearing in Eugene Ionesco’s Exit the King, when he learns that his wife, daughter and son-in-law have been killed in a car accident. Over time, Valence’s life regains a semblance of normalcy – he takes care of his orphaned grandson, strolls the streets of Paris, frequents his favorite cafe and returns to the theater as Prospero in The Tempest. But when an American film director (John Malkovich) offers him a role in an English-language production of James Joyce’s Ulysses, Valence struggles to master the dialogue and the rigors of playing a younger man. On the set, suddenly aware of his age and overwhelmed by grief, he quietly says “I’m going home.” Michel Piccoli is majestic in the role of Valence – he is proud, self-assured, and amused by the world, while still vulnerable to life’s tragedies.

• Country France
• Language English
• Rating NR
• Year 2001
• Running Time 90 minutes
• Director Manoel de Oliveira

IFC Center does not generally provide advisories about subject matter or potentially triggering content in films, as sensitivities vary from person to person. In addition to the synopses, trailers and other links on our website, further information about content and age-appropriateness for specific films can be found on Common Sense Media, IMDb and DoesTheDogDie.com as well as through general internet searches.