On a Magical Night

2019 film by Christophe Honoré

On a Magical Night

Theatrical release poster

French| Chambre 212
Directed by| Christophe Honoré
Written by| Christophe Honoré
Produced by|

* Philippe Martin
* David Thion

Starring|

* Chiara Mastroianni
* Vincent Lacoste
* Camille Cottin
* Benjamin Biolay

Cinematography| Rémy Chevrin
Edited by| Chantal Hymans

Production
companies

* Les Films Pelléas
* Bidibul Productions
* Scope Pictures
* France 2 Cinéma

Distributed by| Memento Films

Release dates

* 19 May 2019 (2019-05-19) (Cannes)
* 9 October 2019 (2019-10-09) (France and Belgium)

Running time

| 90 minutes
Countries|

* France[1]
* Belgium[1]
* Luxembourg[1]

Language| French
Box office| $3 million[2][3]

On a Magical Night (French: Chambre 212, lit. 'Room 212') is a 2019 comedy-drama film written and directed by Christophe Honoré and starring Chiara Mastroianni, Vincent Lacoste, Camille Cottin and Benjamin Biolay.[4] It premiered in the Un Certain Regard section of the 2019 Cannes Film Festival, where Mastroianni won the award for Best Performance.[5][6]

## Premise

[edit]

College law lecturer Maria has been married to Richard for 20 years. After revealing her history of affairs with younger men, she leaves their Paris apartment and spends the night in a hotel across the street. In her room, she is visited by Richard's younger self, as well as her ex-lovers.

## Cast

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* Chiara Mastroianni as Maria Mortemart
* Vincent Lacoste as Richard Warrimer at 20 years old
* Camille Cottin as Irène Haffner at 40 years old
* Benjamin Biolay as Richard Warrimer at 40 years old
* Stéphane Roger [fr] as Maria's will
* Harrison Arévalo as Asdrubal Electorat
* Carole Bouquet as Irène Haffner at 60 years old
* Marie-Christine Adam as Maria's mother

## Production

[edit]

The film's working title was Musique de chambre.[7] Christophe Honoré wrote the screenplay of the film for Chiara Mastroianni, imagining her as "a Cary Grant-type character."[8] It is Honoré's first film that was shot in a studio.[8] It was shot in six weeks, five of which were in the studio.[8] Filming wrapped on 19 March 2019.[9]

## Release

[edit]

On a Magical Night premiered in the Un Certain Regard section of the 2019 Cannes Film Festival[10] on 19 May 2019.[11] The film was released theatrically in France on 9 October 2019.[3][1] In the United States, it was released in virtual cinemas on 8 May 2020 by Strand Releasing.[12]

## Reception

[edit]

### Box office

[edit]

On a Magical Night grossed $3 million worldwide.[2][3]

### Critical response

[edit]

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 66% based on 32 reviews, with an average rating of 6.3/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "It isn't quite as exceptional as the titular evening, but On a Magical Night offers enough Gallic whimsy to satisfy audiences in the mood for some romance."[13] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 53 out of 100, based on 12 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[14]

Stephen Dalton of The Hollywood Reporter called the film "[b]reezy and bright, with the stylized look and feel of a stage play".[15] Owen Gleiberman of Variety wrote, "At 90 minutes, the film feels endless, and we have too much time to notice that the two actors playing Richard seem like two totally different people, and that the film has holes in its fantasy logic you could drive a truck through."[16]

Chiara Mastroianni won the Best Performance award in the Un Certain Regard section of the 2019 Cannes Film Festival.[17][18]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c d "On a Magical Night (Chambre 212)". Cineuropa. Retrieved 2 March 2020.
2. ^ a b "Chambre 212 (2019)". The Numbers. Retrieved 23 June 2020.
3. ^ a b c "On a Magical Night (2019)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 23 June 2020.
4. ^ "The Screenings Guide 2019" (Press release). Cannes Film Festival. 9 May 2019. Retrieved 9 May 2019.
5. ^ "Cannes festival 2019: full list of films". The Guardian. 18 April 2018. Retrieved 18 April 2019.
6. ^ Debruge, Peter (25 May 2019). "Bong Joon-ho's 'Parasite' Wins the Palme d'Or at Cannes". Variety. Retrieved 28 May 2019.
7. ^ Lemercier, Fabien (12 March 2019). "Christophe Honoré about to wrap the shoot for Chambre 212". Cineuropa. Retrieved 26 May 2019.
8. ^ a b c Lemercier, Fabien (21 May 2019). "Christophe Honoré • Director of On A Magical Night". Cineuropa. Retrieved 26 May 2019.
9. ^ Lemercier, Fabien (18 April 2019). "France, Spain and the US rule the roost in Un Certain Regard". Cineuropa. Retrieved 26 May 2019.
10. ^ Lemercier, Fabien (7 May 2019). "Charades charges headlong towards Cannes with a slate of 19 titles". Cineuropa. Retrieved 26 May 2019.
11. ^ Malinjod, Eugénie (19 May 2019). "Chambre 212 (On a Magical Night), as seen by Christophe Honoré". Cannes Film Festival. Retrieved 26 May 2019.
12. ^ Debruge, Peter (8 May 2020). "New Movies to Watch This Week: 'Becoming,' 'Valley Girl,' 'How to Build a Girl'". Variety. Retrieved 2 June 2020.
13. ^ "On a Magical Night". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 10 June 2024.
14. ^ "On a Magical Night". Metacritic. Retrieved 23 June 2020.
15. ^ Dalton, Stephen (19 May 2019). "'On a Magical Night' ('Chambre 212'): Film Review | Cannes 2019". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 26 May 2019.
16. ^ Gleiberman, Owen (24 May 2019). "Cannes Film Review: 'On a Magical Night'". Variety. Retrieved 26 May 2019.
17. ^ Lodge, Guy (24 May 2019). "Brazil's 'Invisible Life of Eurídice Gusmão' Wins Cannes Un Certain Regard Award". Variety. Retrieved 26 May 2019.
18. ^ Tartaglione, Nancy (24 May 2019). "Cannes' Un Certain Regard Prizes Led By 'The Invisible Life Of Euridice Gusmao'; 'Beanpole's Kantemir Balagov Named Best Director". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 26 May 2019.

## External links

[edit]

* On a Magical Night at IMDb
* On a Magical Night at AlloCiné (in French)

* v
* t
* e

Films directed by Christophe Honoré

Feature films|

* Seventeen Times Cecile Cassard (2002)
* Ma Mère (2004)
* Dans Paris (2006)
* Love Songs (2007)
* Making Plans for Lena (2009)
* Man at Bath (2010)
* Beloved (2011)
* Métamorphoses (2014)
* Sophie's Misfortunes (2016)
* Sorry Angel (2018)
* On a Magical Night (2019)
* Winter Boy (2022)
* Marcello Mio (2024)

Television films|

* Close to Leo (2002)
* The Beautiful Person (2008)

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