| On a Magical Night | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| French | Chambre 212 |
| Directed by | Christophe Honoré |
| Written by | Christophe Honoré |
| Produced by |
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| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Rémy Chevrin |
| Edited by | Chantal Hymans |
Production companies |
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| Distributed by | Memento Films |
Release dates |
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Running time | 90 minutes |
| Countries | |
| Language | French |
| Box office | $3 million[2][3] |
On a Magical Night (French:Chambre 212,lit. 'Room 212') is a 2019comedy-drama film written and directed byChristophe Honoré and starringChiara Mastroianni,Vincent Lacoste,Camille Cottin andBenjamin Biolay.[4] It premiered in theUn Certain Regard section of the2019 Cannes Film Festival, where Mastroianni won the award for Best Performance.[5][6]
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.
The film's working title wasMusique de chambre.[7] Christophe Honoré wrote the screenplay of the film for Chiara Mastroianni, imagining her as "aCary 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]
On a Magical Night premiered in theUn Certain Regard section of the2019 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 invirtual cinemas on 8 May 2020 byStrand Releasing.[12]
On a Magical Night grossed $3 million worldwide.[2][3]
On thereview aggregator websiteRotten 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, butOn a Magical Night offers enough Gallic whimsy to satisfy audiences in the mood for some romance."[13] OnMetacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 53 out of 100, based on 12 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[14]
Stephen Dalton ofThe Hollywood Reporter called the film "[b]reezy and bright, with the stylized look and feel of a stage play".[15] Owen Gleiberman ofVariety 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 theUn Certain Regard section of the2019 Cannes Film Festival.[17][18]
