Les muses orphelines

This is definitely the best performance for Fanny Mallette in the role of that a little retarded young woman... Les Muses Orphelines shows something beautiful that it is impossible for me to tell... This is so real and seriously awesome!

A little town in Quebec--St. Ludger. The Tanguay family (the four children) lives in quiet poverty. Catherine, the oldest, teaches school and looks after her brother Luc, an aspiring writer and occasional transvestite (there is much ado about mother's old dresses in a suitcase). Isabelle, the youngest, is getting by by working as an access guard on a highway, while dreaming about improving her vocabulary. She breaks into the power plant one day and shuts off the current for the whole town: why, I'm not sure. Isabelle engineers a family reunion by calling her sister Martine in Germany, and telling her that Luc has died.

The story is not the most gripping you will ever see, but the performances are often very good. Céline Bonnier as the lesbian Martine has a ready wit, she has managed to break away from the claustrophobic family setup by joining the Armed Forces. Marina Orsini shows the frustrations of Catherine's life--having to be the breadwinner and suppressing her own sexual needs.

Les Muses Orphelines is a well adapted play from the author who also gave us Lilies (which has also been adapted and is a must see movie). Les Muses Orphelines made me think about life and family. If you want to have children or if you have children, I think that there's a lesson to take from this movie. Over all, the story is surprising in a way and very well acted. Most important, the movie teaches you important things on life, which is very rare these days !