Au bout du bout du banc (1979)

Overview

Four generations of Oppenheim men gather in Paris for Isaac's 90th birthday. He's "Romeo," still a lady's man, waiting to hear from a woman to whom he has proposed, threatening suicide if she says no. They gather at Isaac's grandson's, Ben, who lives with Peggy and their son Mathias who's 10. Joining them, from Israel, is Isaac's son Elie. Against a backdrop of Elie's attempts to call his ex-wife, Ben and Peggy's marital difficulties, Mathias's budding sexuality, everyone's love of chess and practical jokes, Ben's house (shifting dangerously on its foundation), and the twentieth-century struggles of the Jews, the film explores their relationships and Isaac's aging.