Maria Chapdelaine is like Little Women in that the society keeps putting out newer versions onto the screen from a classic book. While the latest version of Little Women is considered the best, the same may not be said about the latest version of Maria Chapdelaine.
Sébastien Pilote, whose work we enjoyed in La disparition des lucioles | The Fireflies Are Gone (2018), adapted the screenplay from the Louis Hémon 1913 novel and directed the film.
The plot is rather simple: Maria Chapdelaine (Sara Montpetit) is a young woman in rural Péribonka, Quebec. There are potential suitors. François Paradis (Émile Schneider), a local boy with whom she knows and is interested; Eutrope Gagnon (Antoine Olivier Pilon), a local farmer who comes over to the house quite often; and Lorenzo Surprenant (Robert Naylor), an area man who lives in the United States and offers her a comfortable life.
This may sound like a love story. There is very little of the conventions you might associate with a love story. Despite the film and novel named after her, the focus really isn't on Maria Chapdelaine. Pilote doesn't have the character say or do much; hard to tell if this is the source material or a conscious choice.
Do we know or understand her motivations? Are we supposed to care about them? The story tends to focus on how hard life was back then in northern Quebec.
Her mother talks about when she had 3 suitors as well. There is some doubt as to whether she made the right choice. Her husband, patriarch of the family, keeps the family moving north once they clear the land and are surrounded by neighbours.
The major flaw within the film is that Pilote chose to make his version over an hour longer than any of the 3 versions before his interpretation. We know of wonderful films around the 2:38 mark. Xavier Dolan's Laurence Anyways leaps to mind. That film takes a long time and tells a lot in the story. This version of Maria Chapdelaine doesn't say a whole lot.
The film is beautifully shot and filled with scenes of little to no dialogue. 90 minutes into the film, when most movies are finishing up their tale, very little has happened in this film. Film creators should take the time they need but use that time well.
CanadianCrossing.com film reviews
CanadianCrossing.com film coverage
Sébastien Ricard and Hélène Florent are marvelous as Samuel and Laura Chapdelaine, Maria's parents. Martin Dubreuil as Edwige Légaré has a small but memorable performance. You might remember him as Felix of Félix et Meira. These are much more interesting characters than the lead.
2 older boys are often gone and are virtually invisible on screen. There are 3 younger children that Maria sort of watches over. They get very little recognition in the story. This likely reflects how children were seen back in those times.
Sara Montpetit is a lot closer in age to the character. The previous versions reportedly cast women in their 30s to play a woman in her late teens. Pilote deserves credit for casting someone closer in age. The problem with Montpetit's performance is that the audience is not invested in the character. We don't know if that is the actor or the director.
2021 TIFF preview
2021 TIFF Rising Stars
2021 TIFF Canadian film preview
If time is on your side, or if you are familiar with the original novel, this film would be worth the effort. If you don't have to pay much and you can do a lot of fast forwarding, the film might be worth that effort.
Maria Chapdelaine played at the 2021 Toronto International Film Festival and has been released theatrically in Canada.
photo credit: Maria Chapdelaine film
video credit: YouTube/Item 7
Comments