Souterrain

I knew little about this film in advance, and it's the only film from Quebec I've ever seen, but I was absolutely blown away by how outstanding it was - the maturity and grace of the storytelling, the wonderful performances, the intricacy of the direction. Dupuis understands men like no-one else - I've rarely seen such a dignified and authentic portrayal of male peer relationships outside of a documentary. One of my absolute favourite films of the year.

I enjoyed seeing how today"s miners work in the mines, where and how they spend time between their shifts and how they relate to each others. The story is centered around Maxime's relationships. I found myself cheering for him where he attempts to help his handicapped buddy but disappointed where he lashes out with seemingly uncaring acts against others, especially where it is endangering them. His character seemed a bit incongruent but it did not diminish my interest in watching as the story unfolded. Acting is great and the realistic environment drew me in even if the behaviour was sometimes out of character.

Making a 90-minute film without a substantial story to tell is a risky gamble which, unfortunately here, is not won. Hats off, however, to the members of the film's cast who all excelled in their acting, particularly Théodore Pellerin who delivers an extraordinary performance and Jean L'Italien who embodies his character with remarkable veracity. The problem comes from the scenario, which is quite poor, made up of a collage of clichés that could emanate from all the raw resource industries in Quebec. We don't feel the particularity of the mining environment. There are very few underground scenes, despite the title of the film. The main character is unsympathetic and, despite what we learn about his life, it is difficult to develop empathy for him. In short, it can be listened to and watched, with a few rare moving moments, but it is a long 90 minutes.