Tu dors Nicole

I remember that during the premiere of Tu Dors Nicole at the Cannes Film Festival, many viewers left the theater before the end of the film and some left after only 30 minutes. Does that mean that the film proposed by Stéphane Lafleur is of no interest? After watching it in its entirety, I must say that it isn't the case. His film is full of interesting ideas disseminated throughout the duration.

One possible cause of the desertion of the viewers would be the rhythm. Even if the movie is only 93 minutes, the slow pace might irritate some. However, considering the subject (a young woman killing time during summer in the suburb), the pace helps to reflect the odd situations that Nicole (good performance by Julianne Côté) lives and helps to explain her jaded character.

We recognize the touch of its director in the universe he presents us with some strange, almost dreamlike, elements that reminds his precedent works such as En Terrains Connus. The soundtrack and the black-and-white cinematography help to give this impression of strangeness from situations or places that are at the same time familiar. There are some elements from the cinematographic language that are used to amplify the comic tone, but I won't spoil anything here. The humor works almost every time and is well dosed. Some situations involves misunderstandings between the characters that have at least the merit of making the viewer smile.

In the end, with the above-mentioned elements, Tu Dors Nicole is some kind of cinematographic UFO. But the film as a whole works well and depending on the patience of the viewer, it'll prove to be worth the time spent. Just for the atypical character of Martin, the film deserves to be seen and listened to in its entirety.

Odd but wonderful Quebecois film about a young woman, Nicole (Julianne Côté), who is spending a lazy summer at her parents' house while they're away. Much of the time her best friend (Catherine St-Laurent) is hanging out with her, and her brother and his two band members also spend most of their time there, practicing. The mood of this film is quite different: it's very quiet, relaxed. You really get the sense of the ennui of Nicole's existence. Many will find it slow, but I found it both lovely and sad. It's also quite funny. Maybe not laugh-out-loud funny, but slyly amusing. The cinematography is a crisp black and white. I loved it.

Beautifully shot in black and white, and set during the summer in a town in Quebec, this film is intentionally slow-paced as it tracks the ennui of its main character Nicole. The sexy young woman, ably portrayed by Julianne Cote, is trying to navigate herself through such early adult experiences as relationships with men, trying to cope with a most boring job, and getting her first credit card, on which she promptly books a trip to Iceland with her best friend Veronique (Catherine St-Laurent).

With her parents away on vacation, Nicole has been left to look after their house, along with her much older and rather depressive brother Remi. He's constantly conducting jam sessions in the home with his band mates, which is not helping Nicole's insomnia any.

I think one's enjoyment of this movie will depend on how long the viewer is willing to wait, with its very deliberate pacing, for the comedic nuggets to appear. I thought there were some very funny scenes, while others didn't work as well, and appeared too flat-toned and even tedious, at times.

All in all, the deadpan and quirky humor here only is partially successful, in my opinion. The film is written and directed by Stephane Lafleur.

...is the lead virtue and good motif for see it. because, at the first sigh, the story do not exist. a young woman levels to self discover. dialogues, plans, relations, experiences. and, in final, answers. to herself. about life, the others, forms of happiness and ways to escape from the borders of a deep crisis. all in a seductive film, seductive for the grace of Julianne Cote performance and for a sort of minimalism who is the right prize for a part of public.

A very good coming of age story and told from a young woman's point of view, unlike almost 100% of this genre.

The central character is bright and funny and real but hopelessly stuck in the no man's (woman's) land between the end of school and the start of adulthood. Her instincts are good but she is constantly let down by her circumstances and the people around her.

Achingly real, difficult to watch, brilliantly shot in black and white and often at night, to mirror her aimless sleepwalk through her late adolescence.

A must see for film lovers and a reminder that Quebec makes the best Canadian films.

Much, much better than most of the reviews here.