Maria Chapdelaine

Wonderful cinematography and landscapes dominate Sébastien Pilote's poignant, compelling, factually inspired, bittersweet, down-to-earth, well-acted,156-minute, 2021 film adapted from Louis Hémon's 1913 novel in which a pretty, headstrong 17-years-old (Sara Montpetit), who lives with her struggling, hardworking, homesteading parents (Sébastien Ricard and Hélène Florent) and five siblings (Arno Lemay, Thomas Haché, Charlotte Martin, Henri Picard, and Xavier Rivard-Désy) in rural northern Quebec, finds herself in 1900s being wooed by a woodsman and fur trapping guide (Émile Schneider), a nearby farmer (Antoine Olivier Pilon), and a well-to-do Massachusetts mill factory worker (Robert Naylor) and struggles with whom she will pick as her husband until a ser"ies of life-changing events occur.

The forest has people under its spell. Yet the towering pines, meandering wilderness streams, bright lime green blueberry leaves, and roaring waterfalls are no match for the moonlight shining in the eyes of beautiful Maria. Living with her family on the remote Quebec frontier of over a hundred years ago, Maria has three men under her own irresistible spell. Eutrope is a shy woodsman from a nearby homestead, and Lorenzo is a rich man from the city, but her crush is on the far-ranging and adventurous fur trader François. Maria's family, community, and even the forest utilize spells of their own and each exerts pressure on Maria and her suiters to decide their way. When Lorenzo declares to a gathering of frontier folk that "your animals own you," it does not go over very well. There are many currents for Maria to navigate to find happiness and a bright future.

While the story of Maria Chapdelaine has been told many times in film, this version is exquisite and radiant, and it truly captures the spirit of the landscape, story, and characters. The cinematography is satisfying on its own with lingering close-ups of lovers glancing at each other in the soft forest light, sleigh rides in deep snow, and the natural light of sun, moon, and fire. There is mostly ambient sounds of running water, wandering winds, and the flute like melodies of thrushes, but music and song are used to good effect as well. The pride that people have in hard work like clearing land and tending to animals, is evident due to the expressive story telling talents of the film makers and writers. The film is a transformative and enthralling experience, not mere pictures on a screen.

World premiere seen at the Toronto international film festival. Adapted from classic book of same name by Louis Hemon in 1913. The story is beloved and famous in Quebec. The film is not streaming anywhere yet. The spoken language is French.