alain_pinel

Very well acted. Good soundtrack and photography. Excellent integration of the correspondence with the rest of the story. From the perspectives of the history of scientific emergence, identity appropriation and the sexual emancipation of Quebecers, this film is essential and should be seen by as many people as possible, particularly teenagers aged 15 and over. However, the two-pronged production (the relationship between Marie-Victorin and Gauvreau in relation to the mise en abyme of the cast) adds nothing to the film and even harms its pace and intensity, even its depth: one gets the impression that the director does not trust her audience.

The excerpts of texts read are sublime and the multiple narrations are perfect. Good use of intertitles. The introspective scenes are, and it's a shame, too numerous, too long and too emphatic. The music is interesting for this proposal of an auteur film in the first sense of the expression, or even of a cinematographic essay. Beautiful generosity of the cast. The passages intended to be horrific are rather disgusting. Without offering us a brilliant overall production, Simon Lavoie knew how to find particularly brilliant ideas. I had really enjoyed his two previous feature films (The Little Girl Who Loved Matches Too Much, Nulle Trace); this one captivates me much less, but it has undeniable qualities and a message that could take on a universal character regarding the effects of conquests and colonizations. Unfortunately, certain breaks in rhythm, too frequent, make it difficult to maintain sustained interest, without however being fatal to the general interest. The trailer doesn't give a good indication of the type of work we're being presented with.

It's a good thing the film isn't long, because there's nothing particularly captivating about it. The storyline doesn't stand out from the vast majority of mountain survival films, nor from films dealing with the refugee issue. The performances of the main characters are honest. The music is the film's strong point, along with its discussion of the difficult lives of refugees. There's little development in the first two-thirds of the film, and the side stories are extremely secondary in their treatment. It's difficult to find any credibility in the last third of this cinematic offering. Good for passing a 90-minute afternoon.