Canadian film notebook: Évelyne Brochu gets caught in a love triangle in French Girl

We are hesitant to go too much into a Canadian film where we know very little. There is a relatively accessible Canadian film called French Girl from writers/directors James A. Woods and Nicolas Wright. The film is currently out in some U.S. theatres and has received a lot of marketing.

Sophie-Jeanne (Évelyne Brochu) is the centre of a love triangle with her American boyfriend Gordon (American actor Zach Braff) and her former lover Ruby (American actor Vanessa Hudgens). Gordon wants to propose to Sophie; Ruby offers Sophie a tempting job at at Quebec City restaurant.

One note in favour of the film: giving Sophie the last name of Tremblay, a very common last name in La Belle Province. Woods and Wright reportedly have in common that their fathers fell in love with their French Canadian mothers and moved to Quebec.

The plot also involves Gordon meeting Sophie's family. This includes Alphonse (Luc Picard), Mammie (Muriel Dutil), Junior (Antoine Olivier Pilon), Ginette (Isabelle Vincent), and Juliette (Charlotte Aubin).

Brochu wasn't exactly in a love triangle, literally, but this scenario does remind me of her role as Eloise in Monia Chokri's A Brother's Love | La femme de mon frère. Her Orphan Black character had relationships with men and women.

Without having seen the film, our main concern is Hudgens theoretically playing a Canadian character in Quebec, unless she is a transplant, as well as whether the past lesbian relationship won't be taken seriously within the plot. Braff did a Canadian film more than about a decade ago — The High Cost of Living (a review is come shortly) — playing a clueless American in Montréal. Sounds like Braff is now playing a clueless American in Quebec City.

While the French Girl title may have tested well among mainstream audiences. this is 2024 and she is a woman, not a girl, and that woman in French-Canadian, not French.

You can listen to Brochu's interview with Tom Power on Q. This CBC review is obnoxiously glowing but still worth a read.

Brochu and Quebec City plus a number of Quebecois actors being on display might be enough to see this actual Canadian film. Even the glowing review we noted says the film falls apart toward the end. If the film isn't coming to where you are, there will be an on-demand option, at least in the U.S.

With Dune: Part Two in theatres, Denis Villeneuve looks back at his earlier Canadian films

We are not rehashing this previous story. This is a light-hearted story about Denis Villeneuve and Montréal. Tom Power spent a recent interview on Q talking with Denis Villeneuve about Dune: Part Two and even the impact of Quebec society on Villeneuve telling the Dune story. Power's final question is worth noting.

Power noted that Timothée Chalamet, who is in Dune: Part Two, was supposed to be in Montréal for the premiere of the film but was unable to make the screening due to illness. The question was about, if they had an hour, where Villeneuve would take Chalamet "to understand your Montréal."

So many food places leapt into my head: St. Viateur or Fairmount for bagels, Schwartz's for smoked meat. Mont Royal itself. Then I thought "La Banquise."

"It's a good, good, good question. Knowing Timothée, I think that I would have to bring him to the restaurant La Banquise, which is a poutine restaurant that young people know very well because that is the place you go when you are drunk. And I think that when you go to La Banquise, there's a lot of things that you can understand about the power of Montréal."

If you do find Timothée Chalamet at La Banquise someday, you can thank Denis Villeneuve. Maybe Villeneuve will shoot one of his American films in Montréal.

2023 TIFF wrapup

2023 TIFF Canadian film preview

The 2024 version of the National Canadian Film Day is April 17. We do have a lovely preview on the day of the holiday yet feel like we should remind people of the special day to watch a Canadian film or 3 Canadian films.

Reel Canada has a lot of fun with the events, some in-person and others to enjoy at your own pace. The film includes the moose with the light bulb over his head (left). You can find out more details.

There is a spotlight entitled "Films that A.I. could never make."

One Canadian film I would love to see on April 17 is Seagrass, the Canadian film that won the FIPRESCI Prize at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival, dipped a toe into the United States with screenings in New York City, Los Angeles, and, of all places, Las Vegas last month. The film also got some Canadian theatre screenings.

Ideally, Seagrass would have the same availability to Canadians and Americans as French Girl.

We have other recent Q interviews dealing with recent Canadian films:

• Fawzia Mirza The Queen of My Dreams
• Cody Lightning Hey, Viktor!
• Chloé Robichaud Days of Happiness

The Academy Awards have come and gone but the Canadian film path is very different. You hear about them at TIFF in September and by March, they might come through. Difficult when the Canadian Screen Awards are in late May (much later than usual).

"I understand that this is a risk-averse industry, I get it. But $200 million movies are also a risk. And it doesn't always work out, but you take the risk anyway. Instead of making one $200 million movie, try making 20 $10 million movies. Or 50 $4 million movies." — Cord Jefferson.

Jefferson won the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for American Fiction at the 96th Academy Awards. We know he wasn't talking about Canadian films yet his speech could apply. Lots of great Canadian films are made with relatively small budgets. Some Canadian writers and directors wouldn't mind a $4 million or $10 million budgets.

2024 Canadian Screen Awards nominations: Film

CanadianCrossing.com film coverage

We mentioned Tom Power and Q quite a bit in this blog entry. You can listen to Q on CBC Radio One at 10 am and 9 pm (9:30 in most of Newfoundland) or on the CBC Listen app as well as catch the podcast version of the radio show where you get your podcasts.

Let us know if you saw French Girl or, well, a better Canadian film. Merci.

video credits: Elevation Pictures; ABC News
photo credits: La Banquise, Montréal; Reel Canada

Comments

[veronica]

I got a chance to see Vampire Humaniste Cherche Suicidaire Consentante. Charming and dark at the same time. Didn't make me laugh out loud, but enjoyable just the same.

[Chad]

I agree with your assessment of Vampire Humaniste Cherche Suicidaire Consentante. Such a wonderful film. You would smile internally as opposed to laughter.