The Day I Saw Your Heart

Reviews > DVD > Dec 07 2012

By Serena Whitney

Dysfunctional family drama is something everyone can relate to and writer/director Jennifer Devoldere conveys the stubborn rifts between parents and their children in trying times in a very cheeky and affable way in her directorial sophomore effort. The Day I Saw Your Heart reunites Devoldere with her Shoe at Your Foot star Melanie Laurent and this time around, Laurent plays Justine, an X-ray technician and inspiring artist who's forced to live on her sister's couch after yet another turbulent breakup. When Justine and infertile sister Dom find out that their selfish, 60-year-old father, Eli, is expecting a baby with his new wife, both sisters are left infuriated, as Justine is no longer going to be the youngest of the family and Dom is struggling to become a mother. Eli, who has never had a good relationship with daughter Justine, takes it upon himself to get closer to her in a preposterous way, befriending a number of her exes. However, when Justine falls in love with a shoes salesman who inspires her, Eli goes out of his way to sabotage the one bit of happiness she has, which threatens to break up the family for good. Despite the fact that The Day I Saw Your Heart's narrative is creative, the film fails to go above and beyond, in terms of dysfunctional family dramas and loses all of the potential of its enticing premise. Not one character in this film is particularly likable or appealing, for that matter, and the movie relies on its snappy dialogue and misplaced American pop soundtrack to keep viewers intrigued for 98 minutes. The DVD also features a comical four-minute bonus short entitled Don't Tell Santa You're Jewish.
(Film Movement)

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