The Descendant

I honestly did not know what to expect when I watched The Descendant; I'd seen the trailer many times, but nobody told me exactly what it was about. I'm glad I didn't know because the film kept me guessing until the end!

I must say I was fairly intrigued by the premise, especially knowing that the film revealed a 'hidden' part of Quebec's history. (I won't spoil it for you!) I was shocked by this revelation and it added a whole other dimension to my way of thinking about the past. The story demonstrates a thorough research of the topic and is backed by a solid art direction that gives it all its credibility. I must also add, from the point of view of someone who often visited family members in remote villages, that the attention to details in the props and set design is simply splendid. Through his writing and his directing, Philippe Spurrell managed to effectively convey the intricate feelings an outsider encounters in such towns.

Now on to the movie; this is a slow paced piece, but it never feels long. I wouldn't call it a horror film – which seems to be one of the reasons some viewers have a negative opinion of the film – so don't build your expectations that way. It does however have a few genuinely creepy moments that are very effective by taking many of the characteristics of rural Quebec and making them uncanny.

At first the story seemed predictable, but about 30 minutes in, it went in the opposite direction of what I was expecting. All the theories I had from the start were disproved and I did not guess where it was heading. I simply enjoyed the ride and let the ending surprise me.

It is a solid first film that clearly demonstrates the director's mastery of storytelling; every scene and detail adds a layer to the mystery and is there for a reason. The acting sometimes feels a bit stiff or off, but doesn't detract from the compelling whole. This is a character piece that offers a fresh new take on a classic story/sub-genre that has been drained to death. It is sure to surprise Quebecers, but can as easily be enjoyed by anyone. I strongly recommend it and I'll be looking forward to Philippe Spurrell's next project.

The Descendant is a tense and surprising film about a part of Canadian history few people know about. It is not gory or superficial, but instead deals with a topic never before considered in Canadian film. It's supported by the familiar pattern of a suspense plot: a young man from Montreal goes to his grandparents' farm in rural Quebec to learn more about his mother's life, but discovers unpleasant truths about his family and the history of the area.

I've seen the film twice, once at the Fantasia Film Festival, and once at a screening at the National Film Board. One viewing is sufficient to get the basic story, but the film is subtle enough to reward another. Director Philippe Spurrell has included interesting camera shots and soundtrack motifs, along with great music found on old 78 records, to satisfy a critical audience. The actors portraying the aging villains are especially enjoyable to watch, with their sidelong glances and raised clenched fists.

The Descendant is good not only because of its tactful presentation of a shameful part of Canadian history, but also because it is a well made, well paced suspense film.

Having seen a wide selection of lower budget films in my movie watching career, rarely have I seen one so well filmed and acted. The intriguing plot, kept me guessing right until the final scene. The quality of the filming and almost timelessness of the sets, created, in parts, an ethereal quality which made the supernatural element of the film all the more haunting. The characters,especially Mr. Duke (who made me feel very uneasy throughout the film),successfully convinced me of a stifled secret, which when revealed was genuinely shocking. More shocking though is the fact that the story is based on a little known part of Canada's past that would surprise viewers both Canadian and otherwise.

Philippe Spurrell's feature debut is an intriguing story revolving around a small community and its shared secret past history, and how an outsider pushes those secrets to the surface for all to see.

Since the film does rely on the element of surprise for it to work as a mystery, I will not be too explicit on the story itself, but will concentrate on the crafting of the film.

I saw this shot-on-35mm film digitally projected in a setting that did not in any way detract from the lush images on the screen.

The story begins in Montreal with the main protagonist, James, finding a few details of his past via an old shoebox, left to him by his mother, full of old photographs and birthday cards from his grand-parents whom he had no contact with since he was 3 years old. His partner, Kim, suggests that he should go and visit them to re-establish contact with his past, and possibly find answers to the reasons his mother exiled herself from her family.

When James reaches the small isolated community of St-Harmonie, Quebec, he finds himself warmly welcomed by an old friend of his Mother's, but looked on with suspicion by others in the local bar.

James meets up with his Grand-Parents at their farm, and intends to stay for a few days. He proceeds to unearth stories about his Mother's past, and finds deep secrets that the community collectively keeps buried deep in their history.

The film makes for a very good mystery, and succeeds on many other levels as well; but to reveal those would be to give too much away.

The cinematography by Lorenzo Negri and Ivan Gekoff (CSC) is quite sumptuous and serves the story well. The muted colours and close attention to the surface details and textures of the surroundings is very reminiscent of Kim Ki-Duk's "The Isle" (the look of the farmhouse and the wood specifically).

The art direction, the costumes that were created for the inhabitants of the little community literally transports the viewer in a past era; trucks and vehicles being the only details of a vague contemporary setting once James is at the farm.

There are fabulous shots over the farm's windswept cornfields that beg the question of how they were achieved with such a small budget (I did not want to ask the question of how they did it in order to maintain the illusion in my mind).

The actors delivered very convincing performances that at first glance appear off-kilter, but as the film progresses, you realize how true they are for the characters involved; I would say almost Lynchian in subtlety (especially the grand-father played by Jim Reid).

The sound design by Dan Lagacé and music by David Kristian are absolutely outstanding; he does not overwhelm you with recognizable themes, and the background sound effects are so subtle that they induce the mohawk effect (as one of "The Exorcist"'s sound designers was referring to his own sound work was meant to achieve in that film); the hair at the back of the neck definitely rises.

For a film that was shot over the span of 5 years on a shoestring budget, the continuity is spot on and doesn't betray the lack of funds.

Philippe Spurrell has really achieved a great deal with this film which is garnering interest across a broad spectrum of History and Film scholars, and the public at large.

The story explores a little known part of our local history, and makes a strong case for re-examining it in greater detail so that future generations realize how similar we (as a nation) were to our American neighbors.

The filmmakers should congratulate themselves on a job exceedingly well done. I strongly urge the public to go and see this film wherever possible; one of the best Quebec English Canadian films (yes they are distinct from the rest of English Canadian films) I've seen in a long while.

These sorts of indie films are either hit or miss, especially when little is known about the film from a lack of costly pre-hype publicity. So, for me, this taut little drama was a brilliant surprise. The film doesn't rely on clichés and in fact seems to steer clear of them. The pacing drew me in alongside James, the main protagonist (played convincingly by talented newcomer Tadhg McMahon). We are only as aware as he is of the unfolding truth and we react as he does with curiosity, surprise and ultimately, horror. I was riveted from start to finish accompanied by a well-crafted soundtrack along the way. Can't wait to see what this director has in store for us next!