''Don't Tell Me the Boy Was Mad'' (French title: ''Une histoire de fou'') is a 2015 French

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...

co-written, produced and directed by

Robert Guédiguian Robert Jules Guédiguian (born 3 December 1953) is a French film director, screenwriter, producer and actor. Most of his films star Ariane Ascaride and Jean-Pierre Darroussin. Life and career Guédiguian is the son of a German mother and an Arme ...

. The film is based on the true story of a Spanish journalist,

José Antonio Gurriarán José Antonio Gurriarán (7 July 1938 – 31 March 2019) was a Spanish journalist and assistant director of the ''Pueblo'' newspaper. He was the founder of the second chain of Canal Sur. Biography Gurriarán was born in Valdeorras (Orense). I ...

, who was left in a semi-paralyzed state after a bomb attack by the

Armenian Secret Army for the Liberation of Armenia Armenian Secret Army for the Liberation of Armenia (ASALA) was a militant organization active between 1975 and the 1990s whose stated goal was "to compel the Turkish Government to acknowledge publicly its responsibility for the Armenian genocide i ...

in Madrid in 1981. He then recounted his experiences in an

autobiographical novel An autobiographical novel is a form of novel using autofiction techniques, or the merging of autobiographical and fictive elements. The literary technique is distinguished from an autobiography or memoir by the stipulation of being fiction. ...

''La Bomba'', which serves as the source material for the film. The film was screened in the Special Screenings section at the

2015 Cannes Film Festival The 68th Cannes Film Festival was held from 13 to 24 May 2015. Joel and Ethan Coen were the Presidents of the Jury for the main competition. It was the first time that two people chaired the jury. Since the Coen brothers each received a separate ...

Cast

Simon Abkarian Simon Abkarian (Armenian language, Armenian: Սիմոն Աբկարյան, born March 5, 1962) is a French-Armenian actor. Life and career Born in Gonesse, Val d'Oise, of Armenians, Armenian descent, Abkarian spent his childhood in Lebanon. ...

as Hovannès *

Ariane Ascaride Ariane Ascaride (born 10 October 1954) is a French actress and screenwriter. She has appeared in films such as '' Marius et Jeannette'' (''Marius and Jeannette''), '' Ma vraie vie à Rouen'' (''The True Story of My Life in Rouen''; USA, ''My Lif ...

as Anouch *

Grégoire Leprince-Ringuet Grégoire Leprince-Ringuet (born 4 December 1987) is a French actor, film director and screenwriter. Career Theatre Between 1998 and 2002, he was a member of the chorus at the Opéra National de Paris The Paris Opera (, ) is the primary op ...

as Gilles * Syrus Shahidi as Aram *

Razane Jammal Razane Jammal ( ar, رزان جمّال; born on 7 August 1987) is a British- Lebanese actress, best known for her roles in the Netflix Original series ''Paranormal'', and her work in films by Kanye West, Robert Guédiguian, Tobe Hooper and Oliv ...

as Anahit *

Robinson Stévenin Robinson Stévenin (born 1 March 1981) is a French actor. Personal life Robinson's father is the actor Jean-François Stévenin. Also in the acting profession are his brother Sagamore Stévenin, Pierre Stévenin and his sister Salomé Stéve ...

as Soghomon Tehlirian * Siro Fazilian as Arsinée * Amir Abou El Kacem as Vahé * Rania Mellouli as Nounée * Hrayr Kalemkerian as Haïk * Rodney Haddad as Vrej *

Lola Naymark Lola Naymark (born 5 April 1987) is a French film and television actress, writer and director.Pallister & Hottell p.45 In 2005 she was nominated for the César Award for Most Promising Actress for her role in ''A Common Thread'' but lost to Sa ...

as Valérie *

Serge Avedikian Serge may refer to: *Serge (fabric), a type of twill fabric *Serge (llama) (born 2005), a llama in the Cirque Franco-Italien and internet meme *Serge (name), a masculine given name (includes a list of people with this name) *Serge (post), a hitchi ...

as Armenak *

Omar Mikati Omar Nizar Mikati () is a Lebanese actor and voice actor. Omar Nizar Mikati was born in Lebanon in 1944. Filmography Film * The Blind of the Cathedral - Grocer (Short Film). 2015 *'' Max w Antar''. 2016 *'' Princess of Rome'' (Voice only). 20 ...

as Narguiz

References

External links

* 2015 films 2015 drama films 2010s French-language films French drama films Films directed by Robert Guédiguian Films based on biographies Films scored by Alexandre Desplat 2010s French films {{2010s-France-film-stub