THE TIES THAT BIND US

With Valeria Bruni Tedeschi, Pio Marmai

A revealing comment on the complexities of the modern family, the aptly titled THE TIES THAT BIND US ricochets between drama and comedy when Sandra (a marvelous turn by Italian star Bruni Tedeschi), the determinedly single proprietor of a Parisian feminist bookstore, is unexpectedly plunged into family matters through the death of a neighbor.  Elliot, a rascally but irresistible child is the catalyst in a melee that has Sandra the bewildered key player in a web of adult relationships that includes the kid’s dad and his new girlfriend, an ex, a sister-in-law, and the kid’s birth father, all seemingly on the make in varying combinations.  In French with English subtitles.