L'âge des ténèbres

Saw this recently at the Canadian film festival.

I was expecting to be let down by this film (as Arcand set the bar very high with his previous films. However I was pleasantly surprised and found this to be very, very entertaining.

With the opening shower scene and the fact that his wife is a real estate agent there are obvious comparisons to American Beauty.

Ulimately I think Arcand covers more ground in his film and you can't help but laugh at his very dark and also very accurate observations on modern life in a big city.

From ridiculous government bureaucracy to disconnection through mobile phones and MP3 players, speed dating and relationships in general Arcand is dead on.

I guess the only thing I didn't quite agree with was the notion of moving to the country house away from the city and it's craziness and everything will be just fine.

I guess it is ultimately sad that this is a pretty accurate depiction of modern society in many western countries right now. The level of disconnection among people is both sad and and frustrating.

But I loved the honesty in the film and found it extremely entertaining and much funnier than his other films.

A sad and dark view of a dystopian Quebec imagined by Arcand in 2007 with some surprising twists. Some of Arcand's predictions are extremely close to what happened in 2020. Other than that, the movie offers some good moments but it's tendancy to alternate between dreams and actual scenes gets on the nerve.

If there is any hope for Canadian films it is in Quebec. Quebec filmmakers are not beholden to Hollywood, enslaved by its techniques or inclined to copy its product. This is an original, brilliantly conceived, masterfully shot and superbly performed film. I'm not sure whether it's satire, social commentary, comedy or perhaps a little of each. It's slightly reminiscent of Terry Gilliam's Brazil but it stands on its own as a powerful film with a thoughtful (if dark) message. The shame is that films of this quality are not seen in English Canada nor in the US outside the limited sphere of film festivals and fringe cinemas. Denys Arcand is a genius and it shows in this work. This film is what movie making is all about! Or should be.

Very original plot. A very funny take on bureaucracy, political correctness and the nanny state gone overboard.

Takes itself too seriously towards the end, and ultimately the plot drifts, but some screamingly funny moments along the way.

Of course, if you are a person who believes our modern society is the culmination of human evolution and you are comfortable with the western way of life, you might not like this movie so much (referring to the review posted by someone from Chicoutimi). Otherwise, it has to be one of the most brilliant criticisms about the North-American way of life. Another reviewer compared it to Brazil from Gilliam, and there surely are some similarities, though Arcand does not go as far into surrealism. The cast is wonderful. All in all it is a great satire that makes you reflect on many aspects of life in our time. It is funny, but really dark at the same time. I liked it even better the second time I watched it. It just lacks a little something - maybe a stronger climax - to be a masterpiece.