Canadian Crossing

2022 WIFF Canadian films in review: French

François Arnaud and Monia Chokri were in 2 different films in the festival. Arnaud had a lead role in both films while Chokri directed herself in one of the films. Always fun to see Karine Vanasse and Suzanne Clément on the screen, though in separate films.

The phrase in the Ici Windsor ad roughly translates to "wings for the cinema." Ici Windsor is the French version of CBC television. Windsor had a retransmitter of the Ottawa Ici station then the Toronto Ici station until the analog versions were discontinued in 2012. Meaning until 2012, those in Windsor could get CBEFT, Channel 54 (later Channel 35), over the air. Now those in the Windsor area watch the Toronto station CBLFT-DT via cable or satellite.

Babysitter features Monia Chokri, who stars and directs in the film adaptation of the play, both written by Catherine Léger. The film features a lot of misogyny in an over-the-top presentation in a Quebecois farce. Cédric (Patrick Hivon) violates Chantal Tremblay, a female reporter, while she is on the air. His brother Jean-Michel goes to the other extreme on attitudes with women. Chokri may seem like a background character but be patient. The babysitter herself (Nadia Tereszkiewicz) is also not what you think. Misogyny covered by women in a farce is an excellent angle to take this topic. Not much into farces personally, but Babysitter is a film to watch more than once to see all that is there. Chokri shows she is a director to pay attention to in the Quebecois film scene.

The Origin of Evil feels (and is) like a France-Canada co-production about a factory worker trying to escape the poor life by impersonating the long lost daughter of a very rich man. Turns out the patriarch is a bit odd and his daughter a bit cold. Suzanne Clément plays the ex-girlfriend of the factory worker and the actual long-lost daughter. A thriller that was surprisingly deep in the storytelling.

Arsenault & Fils is about a tight-knit family in the Bas-Saint-Laurent region of Quebec. Long after other families got out of the poaching business, the Arsenaults are still at it. The older son Adam (Guillaume Cyr) would rather be running the garage, the front for the poaching business, legitimately. The younger son Anthony (Pierre-Paul Alain) is back in town and wants to heighten the poaching part of the business. Complicated things further is the arrival of radio host Émilie (Karine Vanasse), who falls for Adam and draws the attention of Anthony. The film makes note of being near the Quebec border with New Brunswick, which is intriguing since New Brunswick has almost no major film presence in Canada. An interesting enough story with some cool twists along the way.

Maria has a struggling commercial actor falling into a teaching role. Mariana Mazza is in the title role and co-wrote the film with Justine Philie. Alec Pronovost is the director. Maria is loud and rubs people the wrong way. Her best friends seem to represent potential choices for Maria: one is a lesbian and the other is pregnant with 2 other kids. She discovers that being a teacher suits her, even if her style is atypical. This film reminded me of Guidance from Pat Mills, which we enjoyed. While not a great film, Maria is reasonably good. If you are stuck in your life, you may relate but you won't learn how to get unstuck.

Goodbye Happiness | Au Revoir Le Bonheur is a broad comedy about 4 brothers after their father has passed away and they are deciding what to do about the summer home. This is a Ken Scott film and feels like one even if you don't know who Ken Scott is. François Arnaud plays the primary brother Nicolas, who has several children each with different mothers. You will recognise Antoine Bertrand and Julie Le Breton if you saw Starbuck. English Canada has few broad films, unless there is an English language version of a Scott film. Stick with the subtitles and see his original films en Francaise.

Rosie is a little Indigenous girl whose mother dies. Her aunt Fred is Quebecois, both girls ripped from their worlds and placed in a family together. Fred's life is not going terribly well and struggles to figure out how to care for this girl in her life. Fred's best friends are 2 drag queens, who have actual subplots of their own. Gail Maurice tells a deeper story in her directorial and writing debut than is obvious within the film. Viewing the film within the glass of abandonment will help the film make a bit more sense. An inconsistent film with a great message.

Coyote focuses on Camilo, a Mexican immigrant trying to rebuild his life as a chef in La Malbaie, Quebec. Camilo's plans are put on hold after his adult daughter goes into rehab and he is forced to take care of his grandson, whom he meets for the first time. Camilo is fluent in French and Spanish while the grandson doesn't know Spanish. This is Katherine Jerkovic's second film after Roads to February, which was set in Uruguay. A slow yet intriguing look at the life of an immigrant turning his life around.

WIFF Prize in Canadian Film

Falcon Lake gives us an unusual friendship with Bastien (French actor Joseph Engel), 13, from Paris visiting a small town in Quebec. His mother (Monia Chokri) knows Chloé's (Sara Montpetit) mother (Karine Gonthier-Hyndman). Chloé is 16 and is trying to find her ground with the boys in the tiny community. She teases Bastien, seeing him as an opportunity to have some control over a boy. Bastien is a bit of a puppy dog but not too much. Charlotte LeBon, who co-wrote and directed the film, is delicate with the dynamic of Bastien and Chloé as they grow closer. Bastien is the protagonist (Bastien Vivès wrote the original graphic novel Une sœur and co-wrote the screenplay) yet LeBon gives time and energy to Chloé's struggles much to the benefit of the audience. LeBon also uses the calmness and natural beauty of the rustic setting to set the tone and mood of the film in an ideal proportion. Montpetit had trouble as the lead in Maria Chapdelaine (not her fault) but shows great potential in this complex role. This is a film you will remember for some time to come.

Norbourg describes the straightforward story of the actual Norbourg scandal from 2005. François Arnaud is excellent as the arrogant company president Vincent Lacroix. Vincent-Guillaume Otis is complicated in his portrayal of vice-president Éric Asselin. Maxime Giroux told this story in part because his parents were affected by the scandal. Watching the company executives thwart the regulators is sad and likely very accurate. One funny scene involves Olympic Stadium, which is amusing in itself. The pace matches what is necessary to tell the story. A film that you wish wasn't real but is.

photo credits: Babysitter film; Ici Windsor; Falcon Lake film

Overview English French Documentaries

Quebec selects CAQ for its second term as majority government

Continuons. The Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) slogan roughly translates to "Let's go on." The CAQ actually increased its numbers, based on unofficial results from last night's election in Quebec.

François Legault won 89 seats last night, compared to 76 seats at the dissolution of the assembly and 74 seats in 2018. The party took seats from the Parti Québécois in the east and Liberal seats surrounding the island of Montréal. The CAQ took 7 PQ seats and 5 Liberal seats.

Liberal leader Dominique Anglade, in her first election as leader, watched her party fall from 31 seats in 2018, 27 seats as the race began, to 23 seats last night. The Liberal Party dominated the island of Montréal as the preferred party of anglophones but there was very little red outside the island.

Québec solidaire, the left-wing party with Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois with Manon Massé are co-spokespeople, must love the number 10 (Guy Lafleur's number) with 10 seats last night, same as the 2018 election.

The Parti Québécois sank to a new low with only 3 seats, lowest in party history. Party leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon did win his seat; the party had 7 seats at the start of the election cycle, down from the 10 seats won in 2018.

The irony was that the Parti Québécois had a higher vote share (unofficially) than any party outside of the CAQ. The Liberals and Conservative Party, no relation to the federal party, with Éric Duhaime as the leader had similar vote totals yet the latter party didn't win a single seat. The Conservative Party had 1 seat on a floor crossing before the dissolution of the assembly.

Back-to-back majorities solidify CAQ as a powerhouse. https://t.co/2LGj9AHyCo

— CBC News (@CBCNews) October 4, 2022

The Coalition Avenir Québec has a stronger majority despite troubles during the campaign. Jean Boulet, CAQ immigration minister, spoke at a debate in Trois-Rivières and reportedly said,"80 per cent of immigrants go to Montreal, do not work, do not speak French or do not adhere to the values of Quebec society." Hours later, Legault told the Chamber of Commerce of Metropolitan Montreal that immigration above 50,000 per year would be "suicidal" to the province. "If we increase the number of immigrants while French is in decline, it would be a bit suicidal for French."

The Liberals got off to a slow start in the campaign. The fight on Bill 96 wasn't as strong as it could or should have been.

The Québec solidaire lost momentum defending what had been labelled as "le tax orange."

2022 Quebec election preview

Quebec turns to Coalition Avenir Québec to run province

CanadianCrossing.com Quebec coverage

Kateri Champagne Jourdain (CAQ) from the Duplessis riding is the first female Indigenous MNA in the history of Quebec.

Legault said the CAQ elected more women than any other party in history. The party had 40 women win, up 12 from the 2018 election. The Liberals elected 15 women of its 23 seats, down 1 from 2018. Québec solidaire went from 5 women in 2018 to 3 women in 2022. The Parti Québécois had 4 women in 2018 and fell to 0 in 2022.

Exploring the consequences of Bill 96 in Quebec

Looking at Bill 21 in Quebec during a pandemic

Manitoba offers respite for those suffering under Bill 21 in Quebec

We noted when victory speeches feature French in other Canadian provinces. Legault did speak briefly in English, vowing to be the "premier of all Quebeckers." "When I say that Quebeckers form a great nation I mean all Quebeckers, from all regions, of all ages, of all origins."

Difficult to know how sincere that was on the heels of Bill 96 and Bill 21 along with the use of the notwithstanding clause.

Bill 21 should reach the Supreme Court of Canada during this Legault term. We will be curious if there is a more conciliatory path toward anglophones and allophones in the next 4 years.

2022 Canadian politics preview

CanadianCrossing.com Canadian politics coverage

The Ontario-Quebec comparisons have a few layers. Both were 2022 elections. Right-wing parties that had failing track records on COVID-19 where the population didn't seen retribution. The Nova Scotia election in 2021 turned on handling of COVID-19 among other issues.

Quebec was not as bad as Ontario was but had issues that other provinces avoided. Like Ontario, the Quebec populace wasn't eager to punish the right-wing party in charge for how the pandemic was handled.

The economic insecurity didn't affect either incumbent government.

The big difference: Ontario set a new low with a 43% turnout. Quebec's turnout was down a couple of points yet rested at 64% in 2022.

photo credit and Twitter capture: CBC News

2022 Quebec election preview

Bienvenue to our look at the Quebec provincial election set for October 3. There are 125 seats in the National Assembly of Quebec in Quebec City, the capital. A party needs 63 seats for a majority in the assembly.

Premier François Legault leads the Coalition Avenir Québec looking for a second straight majority government. The CAQ has 76 seats at the dissolution of the assembly, 74 seats from the 2018 election.

Dominique Anglade, former Quebec deputy premier, won a 1-person race to be the leader of the Liberal Party and the official opposition leader. The party had 27 seats, down from the 31 elected in 2018.

Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois with Manon Massé are co-spokespeople of the left-wing Québec solidaire with 10 seats, same as the total from the 2018 election.

Paul St-Pierre Plamondon is the new leader of the Parti Québécois. The party had 7 seats, down from the 10 seats won in 2018. The Conservative Party, no relation to the federal party, has Éric Duhaime as the leader. The party had 1 seat on a floor crossing.

There were 4 independents MNAs at dissolution.

Exploring the consequences of Bill 96 in Quebec

Looking at Bill 21 in Quebec during a pandemic

Manitoba offers respite for those suffering under Bill 21 in Quebec

Bill 96. Bill 21. A number of controversial (legit controversial) bills could certainly be on the ballot in 2022. Unfortunately, the momentum against the bills is more in Montréal and Quebec City than elsewhere in the province. The fact that Bill 21 still has not reached the Supreme Court of Canada and we are in the 2022 election speaks volumes to the molasses-like speed of Canadian justice.

The strategy of such bills may lead to an easy win on October 3. This is where political coverage ends. We believe in politics where people are lifted up, not beaten down because they don't fit a rigid definition of what they should be.

Legault's logic is that if you are against these bills, you are against the French language, francophones, and La Belle Province. We humbly disagree. If you have to use the notwithstanding clause to trample on the rights of citizens, you have poorly drawn legislation.

Quebec handled the height of the COVID-19 pandemic slightly better than their mes amis in Ontario. Like Doug Ford, the voters aren't likely to judge Legault for his actions against the pandemic.

Quebec turns to Coalition Avenir Québec to run province

2018 Quebec election preview

The “cette madame” gaffe, approximately 37 seconds into the Quebec election campaign. https://t.co/AB5P7I6epH

— Les Perreaux (@perreaux) August 28, 2022

A sign of how this campaign might go: In May, the English language leaders debate was called off after 2 party leaders refused to participate: Premier François Legault (CAQ) and Parti Québécois leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon.

The French language debates are definitely more important in a Quebec election but the English language debates proved useful to those in the larger cities and elsewhere in Canada.

Legault said his party's 5 priorities are the environment, health, education, the economy, and defending Quebec identity.

Anglade said her party will focus on the economy and cost of living, mentioning high inflation, high housing prices, and the ongoing labour shortage.

Anglade objected to Legault's refusal to address her by her name in the "cette madame" mention.

2022 Canadian politics preview

CanadianCrossing.com Quebec coverage

BREAKING: Quebec's 43rd general election officially kicks off today https://t.co/xPg6WSFMqU

— CBC News Alerts (@CBCAlerts) August 28, 2022

The 2022 election may be more a matter of which parties outside of the CAQ can gain strength and momentum in numbers in the National Assembly. Will the CAQ have a smaller majority or even a minority government?

The Liberals will attract non-francophone voters. Their strength is in Montréal and Laval yet needing to win more rural seats. Québec solidaire may be going after some of those same voters.

How relevant will the Parti Québécois be after the 2022 election? The Conservative Party of Quebec has had a lot of talk but hasn't elected a MNA from the party. How much of the party's voice is a reaction to pandemic restrictions and an outlet for racist rhetoric?

The last Quebec premier to win back-to-back elections was Jean Charest for the Liberal Party from 2003-2012. Charest is currently a candidate for the leadership of the federal Conservative Party.

photo credit: @qcgnjustice
Twitter captures: @perreaux; @CBCAlerts

Canadian film review: Les Oiseaux ivres | Drunken Birds

Willy (Mexican actor Jorge Antonio Guerrero) is in love with Marlena. They were secret lovers in Mexico, her husband being a powerful man. They escape separately. Willy, thinking Marlena is in Montréal, gets a job as a seasonal worker at the Bécotte Farm in Quebec.

Julie (Hélène Florent), matriarch of the farm, had an affair of some type with a seasonal worker the year before. She is learning Spanish. Daughter Léa (Marine Johnson) is angry over her mother's affair and tells Julie she is the one who told her father Richard (Claude Legault).

Julie is interested in Willy.

Les Oiseaux ivres | Drunken Birds takes on a slow pace once Willy arrives at the farm. Willy is chasing after Marlena in theory but seems a huge distance from Montréal. Léa finds getting to Montréal much easier where she is mixed up in prostitution and drugs. Later she is forced to pick out one of the seasonal workers to take the blame and picks the one person who helped her: Willy.

Ivan Grbovic directed the script he co-wrote with Sara Mishara. Les Oiseaux ivres | Drunken Birds is more about class and language barriers than any love story. The mother and daughter approach to love and attention is noteworthy.

The investment in characters is minimal so we don't have much invested in either the French speaking or Spanish speaking characters. Everyone feels a little lost, including the viewer.

2022 Oscars through the lens of Canada

Les Oiseaux Ivres misses the Oscars shortlist cut for Best International Feature Film

This film definitely isn't in the worst 2 of recent Canadian films to get the nod for Best International Feature Film. We preferred 14 Days, 12 Nights over Drunken Birds though the latter film felt a lot more Canadian.

Chien de Garde is the worst we've seen in this category. Hochelaga, Land of Souls was decent in the flashbacks but couldn't relate the stories to the modern era.

Your humble narrator has seen the last 19 Canadian entries and 21 of the last 22 films. Un crabe dans la tête from André Turpin is the lone exception in that stretch.

CanadianCrossing.com film reviews

CanadianCrossing.com film coverage

Les Oiseaux ivres | Drunken Birds is a very pretty film. Pretty to look at with beautiful cinematography. Even a day where the rain is pouring looks wonderful.

The key plot points feel inserted into the film without context. You are supposed to get the whole family dynamic out of a single argument between the mother and daughter. The dialogue is minimalist so you have to draw conclusions from quite a few scenes where the lighting is deliberately understated.

The best way to enjoy this film is to watch and not really think about what is happening.

As noted, the film was selected as the Canadian entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 94th Academy Awards. The film did not make the shortlist.

Les Oiseaux ivres | Drunken Birds has played in Canadian cinemas and is current available on demand in the United States.

Exploring the consequences of Bill 96 in Quebec

Bonne fête nationale du Québec! Aujourd'hui (today) is St. Jean the Bapiste Day, the national holiday of Quebec.

The Quebec election won't be until October 3. We have some idea of where the Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) is approaching the upcoming election. The fact that the singular English language debate has already been cancelled is a tell-tale sign.

Bill 96 is from those who think the infamous Bill 101 is too lenient. The idea of the bill is that services are in French and only French with grand exceptions: "historic" anglophones and immigrants in Quebec fewer than 6 months.

The bill greatly affects health care services as well as limiting English CEGEP (junior college) enrollment and taking more French CEGEP classes.

The argument that immigrants have to learn French in 6 months was something along the idea of "some wanted it to be a year, some wanted it to be no time at all."

What a way to make government policy.

"#Bill96 ignores the struggles that come with getting established in a new country... Rushing vulnerable people into French classes for the sake of meeting some arbitrary deadline is not only unhelpful and unrealistic, it’s inhumane." #qcpoli #AssNathttps://t.co/vahtgILfgm

— @QCGNJustice (@qcgnjustice) June 16, 2022

The government argues that French is in trouble (French is always in trouble) and that if you hate Bill 96, you hate the French language.

There is a lot of confusion even from people who like the bill. How do you know who is "historic" among anglophones? Is the 6-month limit the same for permanent residents, temporary foreign workers, and those without status? The Roxham Road refugees: does the clock start once they cross the road into Quebec?

Bill 96 doesn't make any exceptions for Indigenous populations, where learning French isn't as easy as it might seem for a number of reasons.

Many anglophones outside of Quebec hate the dominance of French language in Quebec and/or are completely ignorant. New Brunswick, the only bilingual province, doesn't have these bills. Canada is filled with francophone communities surrounded by anglophones.

Quebec turns to Coalition Avenir Québec to run province

Looking at Bill 21 in Quebec during a pandemic

Manitoba offers respite for those suffering under Bill 21 in Quebec

Like Bill 21, this is a battle of Montréal versus the rest of Quebec. The idea is to appeal to the rural areas that account for very little English and few immigrants over the more sophisticated Montréal area.

Like Bill 21, Bill 96 was passed with the notwithstanding clause, essentially removing individual rights.

This push got them into office as the government in 2018 and might get them re-elected.

Quebec objectively needs people to live in the province. The CAQ approach wants immigrants if they speak French.

Ontario-Quebec border will close on Monday

We believe in the strength of French in Canada throughout Canada. Canadian history is filled with moments where the struggle was for French speakers in other parts of Canada, such as Manitoba.

We disagree on Bill 21 and Bill 96 not because they claim to be about French in Quebec but because they are about tearing apart people instead of bringing people together.

Even though Bill 96 is law, the CAQ government has said the law won't be applied for another year. So they can brag about the law being passed during the election, get past the election, and only deal with the consequences after the election. Doug Ford might be a little jealous if he understood French.

Tech companies don't like Bill 96 for very good reasons. The idea of the bill will be enough to chase away talent who can easily live in Ontario.

Might be a winning strategy politically but lives are being harmed by Bill 21 and little has been written about this in English or in French.

2022 Canadian politics preview

CanadianCrossing.com Quebec coverage

For those who want to do more research, we have links on Bill 96 enforcement from CBC News and Canadaland.

Quebecois films to watch on Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day 2020

So this isn't all about politics, the pipeline to new Quebecois films in the States has gone rather dry during the COVID-19 pandemic. There are wonderful Canadian films from Quebec to watch even if the above link is 2 years old. See Xavier Dolan's work if you aren't aware. The films of Denys Arcand, Anne Emond, Ricardo Trogi, and many more are worth a look.

We will review Les Oiseaux ivres | Drunken Birds for next week.

photo credit: CBC News
Twitter capture: @qcgnjustice

Canadian film review: C.R.A.Z.Y.

Christian. Raymond. Antoine. Zac. Yvan.

These 5 brothers form the title C.R.A.Z.Y. but the film is really about Zac, the fourth of the 5 brothers. Zac (Marc-André Grondin) comes into this world on Christmas Day in 1959.

Zac and his father Gervais (Michel Côté) have a good relationship. Something a young boy strives to have with his father. Zac is worried understandably that his father won't accept him for being gay.

Zac tries to hide this with a "relationship" with his friend Michelle (Natasha Thompson), who is into Zac. Gervais catches Zac and sends him to a therapist to "cure" him of being a homosexual.

Laurianne (Danielle Proulx) as the mother of the 5 boys, appreciates that Zac is different in a good way.

Heralded Canadian filmmaker Jean-Marc Vallée passes away at the age of 58

TIFF ranks top Canadian films (2015)

C.R.A.Z.Y. can certainly be labeled as a coming of age film dealing with father-son issues. The film feels like so much more.

Jean-Marc Vallée directed the film and co-wrote the film with François Boulay. We talk often about how Bruce McDonald uses music in his Canadian films. Vallée makes the music as a co-star in the film, putting you in the middle of this time of change in a society reluctant to make those changes.

Shine On You Crazy Diamond and The Great Gig in the Sky from Pink Floyd; Space Oddity from David Bowie; Sympathy for the Devil from the Rolling Stones; and White Rabbit from Jefferson Airplane. Gervais is a big fan of Patsy Cline's Crazy, which also ties into the Pink Floyd song and the film's title.

The film's budget devoted nearly 10% to clearing the rights to music, reportedly $600,000.

The soundtrack also features a couple of Charles Aznavour songs Emmenez-moi and Hier Encore.

Vallée creates a film stronger than the sum of its parts. Love takes on many meanings in a family dynamic; family members who love each other but find unusual ways to show that love.

CanadianCrossing.com film reviews

CanadianCrossing.com film coverage

The 2005 film was submitted as the Canada entry for Best Foreign Language Film for the Academy Awards but was not nominated. The film won Best Canadian Film at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF).

C.R.A.Z.Y. made the TIFF Top Ten at number 8 for best Canadian films of all time on the 2015 list.

The film won 13 Jutra Awards (Quebec films) and 11 Genie Awards in the spring of 2006. The film won the Golden Reel Award, given to the Canadian film that made the most money. C.R.A.Z.Y. was an artistic and commercial success.

Telefilm Canada brings back more Canadian films for rent

The film is available as part of Telefilm Canada's 99¢ Canadian film of the week, starting May 24.

Despite how amazing the film is, there was never a theatrical release in the United States, due to licensing issues with the music. Americans will have a difficult time finding this film. Bonne chance (good luck) in finding the film. You deserve to know the film exists in case you can find a way to see the film.

Unlike Jean-Marc Vallée's U.S. projects, Vallée had a writing hand in this film. His sense of music in the storytelling is a part of why he was so loved as a filmmaker.

photo credit: C.R.A.Z.Y. film
video credit: YouTube/Museum of Modern Art

Canadian film review: Maria Chapdelaine

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

The Canadian influence on Dune from Denis Villeneuve and others

"Do you still feel like a Quebec filmmaker? Is that still in these films you're making now?"

Tom Power of Q asked this of Denis Villeneuve in light of the success of Dune and the upcoming follow-up film in 2023.

"I think so," Villeneuve said. He said the influences are still French-Canadian, from Quebec. He is inspired by past Quebec directors and their relationship with nature, with reality. "I still feel like it's in my DNA."

Villeneuve talked about making films in Canada required flexibility, the implication being low budgets. He said the ways of doing films are from Montréal, where he is still based.

You can listen for the whole answer. [The question starts about 23:40 into the almost 31 minute interview.] There is a longer version of the interview via the new Q Interview podcast from CBC Radio.

We have cast doubt on this question in our heads. Incendies (2010) is over a decade old. Enemy (2013) technically qualified as a Canada co-production.

We sat through Enemy (review coming later this month) and the film didn't remind us of his Quebecois work. As we have cited in the past, Villeneuve wrote and directed the Quebecois films; the only film he wrote of his recent films was the adaptation of Dune.

Villeneuve would be shaped by writing and directing films in Quebec, in Canada. So we don't always know what is in his DNA, as he says, or how much influence Quebec has, and whether that matters.

Villeneuve was growing up in Quebec when he first discovered the novel.

Still, getting an answer from Villeneuve himself was really intriguing. Good on Tom Power for asking and Villeneuve for answering.

'Dune' may be set in a distant time and place, but the film has Canadian roots (The New York Times)

The man who finally made a 'Dune' that fans will love (The New York Times)

Ian Austen, editor of the Canada Letter for The New York Times, noted that "as has been the case with most of Mr. Villeneuve's movies, many Canadians were involved in the production. Patrice Vermette, another Montréaler and longtime collaborator with Mr. Villeneuve, was the production designer responsible for creating the look of various planets as well as the vehicles, buildings, furnishings and gadgets used by their inhabitants."

Villeneuve also cited Vermette's contributions in the answer to Tom Power on Q.

Austen also cited Tanya Lapointe, an executive producer of Dune and Villeneuve's spouse.

"Other Canadians were involved in makeup and prosthetics, and two Canadian companies, one in Montréal and the other in Vancouver, were key contributors of digital special effects. (Their work is also responsible for the appearance of Quebec's film production tax credit system logo, a variation of the province's flag seen during the film's closing credits.)"

The New York Times Magazine had a profile and article on Villeneuve. Austen noted that Helen Macdonald talked with Villeneuve as he "went into some detail about how growing up in the village of Gentilly, on the south shore of the St. Lawrence River, affected how he transformed a favorite novel of his childhood into film. His time in Canada making documentaries also influenced him, as did a school friend who later joined the film industry and, above all, his grandmothers."

Austen points out precisely that it "would be an overstatement to call Dune a Canadian film." This is a very true statement; good to see some Canadian content is in the film.

Rolling Stone has a similar profile of Dune with nods to Villeneuve's childhood love of the Frank Herbert novel. 

Oscar nomination should help people find Denis Villeneuve Quebec films

Canadians Oscars nomination scoreboard

The Canadian contribution on Dune may seem more significant with potential Academy Awards nominations. Villeneuve, Vermette, and the makeup artists could get Oscar nominations.

Denis Villeneuve has been nominated for Best Director for Arrival (2016). Villeneuve is the last Canadian director to receive a nomination. James Cameron won for Titanic (1997), beating out fellow Canadian Atom Egoyan (The Sweet Hereafter).

More women (2) have won the Best Director award than Canadians (1).

If Villeneuve gets nominated for Dune, he will be in fine company with Canadian directors with multiple nominations. That list includes Mark Robson [Peyton Place (1957), The Inn of the Sixth Happiness (1958)]; Norman Jewison [In the Heat of the Night (1967), Fiddler on the Roof (1971), and Moonstruck (1987)]; James Cameron [Titanic (1997), Avatar (2009)]; and Jason Reitman [Juno (2007), Up in the Air (2009)].

The Academy Award nominations will be known on February 8.

Villeneuve's Quebec work has been in the mix for Oscars consideration in what was then the Best Foreign Language Film category: Cosmos (1997), of which Villeneuve was one of several directors; August 32nd on Earth | Un 32 août sur terre (1998); Maelström (2000); and Incendies (2010). Only Incendies made the shortlist or the Top 5 cut.

TIFF will have a rare screening of August 32nd on Earth

Bilingual Canadian actors tend to flow from French to English

CanadianCrossing.com film coverage

Let's be crystal clear: your humble narrator understands the need for filmmakers to follow the path they want to lead. I can feel sad that Denis Villeneuve and Jean-Marc Vallée aren't making the same kind of films in Quebec and Canada that they did. Ideally, those who think they are great in the United States should find those earlier works.

That isn't terribly realistic since availability of those films is tres difficile. North Americans generally don't follow a director's work, unless you are a film geek. Not following the earlier work is easy, if less rewarding.

We should note the Vallée film C.R.A.Z.Y. (2005), which Canada submitted for Oscars consideration.

Canadian film review: Mars et Avril

We heartily recommend Mars et Avril if you are looking for a science fiction Canadian film directed by a Villeneuve. This film was written and directed by Martin Villeneuve, younger brother of Denis Villeneuve. This won't be playing on IMAX and doesn't have the budget of Dune.

photo credit: CBC News

Canada election 2021: What we learned from the first leaders debate

The first Canada leaders debate on Thursday in Montréal was spirited. A few minor jabs but nothing that will register huge headlines. Most debates should be more about the exchange of ideas than "gotcha" moments.

Erin O'Toole (Conservative) had a plan but couldn't or wouldn't talk about what that plan was. Justin Trudeau (Liberal) and Yves-Francois Blanchet (Bloc Quebecois) each tried to get O'Toole to talk about what was in the plan but O'Toole would not budge.

O'Toole stuck to lines about respecting Quebec and not wanting to put restrictions on money given to La Belle Province. Politicians have talking points but O'Toole played closer to the vest than other party leaders.

Blanchet acted like he lived upstairs from the TVA studio, as in we were in his maison. Trudeau was the second most comfortable: Blanchet represents the Beloeil-Chambly riding on the South Shore of Montréal; Trudeau represents the Papineau riding, east of downtown Montréal.

O'Toole talked about a contract with Quebec. Blanchet attacked the concept of the contract with O'Toole since there was no negotiation with anyone else.

If you wondered why the Bloc Quebecois did so well in 2019, watch Blanchet in French. He isn't running for prime minister so he was free to go past talking points. Blanchet got defensive talking about the Troisième Lien, a potential transportation tunnel running through Quebec City and Lévis. He said he never supported the project.

The debate brought up a couple of issues dear to Quebec but may not come up in the debates this week: medical assistance in dying and assault weapons. These are weak points for O'Toole as the Conservatives are on the wrong end of these issues in the province.

O'Toole said "we will maintain a ban on assault weapons," though the Conservative platform would "start by repealing C-71 and the May 2020 order in council and conducting a review of the Firearms Act." That "assault-style" firearms ban outlawed about 1,500 makes and models of "military-grade weapons."

CanadianCrossing.com Quebec coverage

NDP leader Jagmeet Singh pointed out that unlike Trudeau, who says he will deliver, the NDP will actually deliver. As hard as the Conservatives were pandering to Quebecers, the NDP is in a really bad situation in Quebec with 1 MP. Alexandre Boulerice (Rosemont-La Petite-Patrie) is the only NDP MP representing a riding in Quebec. The Orange Wave of 2011 feels like a distant memory: 59 of the party's 103 seats were in Quebec.

The Conservatives only have 10 MPs, mostly in the Quebec City area. The TVA debate really was more for the Liberals (35) and Bloc Quebecois (32). The Liberals need to pull back a few seats from the Bloc Quebecois to get that majority.

The voice for Erin O'Toole on the @CPAC_TV coverage of the @TVAreseau debate would have won the #BillyConnolly sound alike contest. #elxn44 #cdnpoli

— Chad Rubel (@canadian_xing) September 3, 2021

O'Toole's French was better than Andrew Scheer, though both of them are above average for most anglophones. CPAC provided voices for the translation, giving O'Toole an audio dead ringer for Scottish comedian Billy Connolly. Porquoi? Je ne sais pas.

The TVA debate featured all of the major leaders except for Green Party leader Annamie Paul. The Greens don't have a MP from Quebec.

Pierre Bruneau ran another good debate. Bruneau let politicians battle but pulled in the reins once they made their point. He had a firm control on the debate. Paul Wells could learn a lot from Bruneau on running a debate but Wells' arrogance levels are rather high.

CPAC showed the debate on tape delay at 10 pm Eastern with English translations for Anglophones. CPAC aired the debate on its cable channel and at cpac.ca.

Canada election 2021: How manipulated media entered the political lexicon

Travel budgets are rather extensive in a political campaign. The leaders go all across the country. There is still some travel in a pandemic.

The Conservatives have been trying a different strategy with Erin O'Toole. The party has been running virtual telephone town halls out of the Westin Hotel in Ottawa.

The New York Times does a lovely job at explaining what the Conservatives are doing. The idea of cold-calling people likely to be friendly to your policies feels more like an infomercial than Candid Camera.

O'Toole is doing some live events as well. When people don't know who you are, the obvious advice is to go and meet them.

The CBC reported what we noted last week about Green Party leader Annamie Paul not having left Toronto. Paul will leave for the Ottawa area to participate in the Leaders Debates Commission debates.

Canada election 2021: Conservative Willy Wonka ad is the opposite of a good start

Speaking of the Leaders Debates Commission debates, the 2-hour debates run this week at the Canadian Museum of History in Gatineau, QC:

• French: September 8 (8 pm Eastern)
• English: September 9 (9 pm Eastern)

Patrice Roy of Radio-Canada will moderate the French debate with Hélène Buzzetti (Les coops de l'information), Guillaume Bourgault-Côté (L'actualité), Paul Journet (La Presse), Marie Vastel (Le Devoir), and Noémi Mercier (Noovo Info).

Shachi Kurl, president of the Angus Reid Institute, will moderate the English debate with Rosemary Barton (CBC News), Melissa Ridgen (APTN News), Evan Solomon (CTV News), and Mercedes Stephenson (Global News).

On the English side, a pollster as the moderator is an odd choice. The panel should include print media since most TV journalists often ignore or underestimate economic questions where average Canadians are suffering. 

There should be several ways to watch these debates online.

2021 Canada election preview

Housing affordability was an issue before the pandemic, but the pandemic made this worse. We did say, and still believe, that there wasn't a trend in the Nova Scotia election results that could translate to the federal election. Housing affordability might be a concern in certain areas. Toronto and Vancouver and their surrounding suburbs have had chronic housing issues for a long time. The place that kept coming up on housing during the pandemic: Nova Scotia.

There are housing issues in Nova Scotia, even outside Halifax. This isn't to say the Liberals will lose significant ground with MPs in the province. People being upset changes their dynamic over how they vote.

The pandemic elections in British Columbia, Saskatchewan, and New Brunswick may have benefited from being in the eye of the storm as opposed to this election, where the storm is there but people can see the damage clearly.

The pandemic also exposed to a more obvious level the growing concern over child care. Trudeau pointed out during the TVA debate that Quebec's child care system is the model for the Liberals $10/day child care system proposal. Women dropped out of the workforce at an alarming rate during the pandemic with children home from school. 

Trudeau and Blanchet went after O'Toole during the debate on whether the Conservatives would honour the $6 billion deal with Quebec on child care. O'Toole avoided the question. Trudeau has gone after O'Toole on the campaign trail on going back on established deals with 7 provinces and 1 territory. The 3 provinces that haven't agreed (Alberta, Ontario, New Brunswick) have conservative premiers. Manitoba and Nova Scotia have conservative premiers who have made deals (the Nova Scotia agreement came under a Liberal premier).

The Conservative plan would cancel those deals and create a refundable tax credit that could pay up to $6,000 for eligible families, replacing the current non-refundable tax deduction. Trudeau pointed out during the debate that tax credits won't help poor families.

We hope the housing and child care concerns will get questions in both official languages at the debates.

We wanted to run a Green Party ad since we have run ads from the 3 major national parties. This isn't really an ad but couldn't find a video that had a traditional ad.

The Greens aren't running 338 candidates, so this video may be more helpful for future elections and for local elections. If nothing else, you get to hear a bit from party leader Annamie Paul before she takes the stage in Gatineau this week.

Free advice: We know the Greens don't have much money but producing an ad can't cost that much. Having an ad doesn't mean the ad has to run on TV; online viewing doesn't require an advertising budget.

2021 Canadian politics preview

Canadian politics coverage on CanadianCrossing.com

Conservative leader Erin O'Toole has a plan to deal with mental health: depression, anxiety, and more. This might be a bit shocking that conservatives care about mental health. O'Toole has some charisma to personalise a topic. He cites his own issues after his air force squadron responded to the 1998 Swiss Air disaster off the coast of Peggy's Cove in Nova Scotia. O'Toole noted "operational stress disorder" as a result of the mission.

We do not like raining on parades but this is a stickler on conservatives and mental health. We saw out west during the pandemic, especially with Alberta Premier Jason Kenney, of this sudden concern over people's mental health as an excuse to open things up before the science could back that up. This is not the kind of help people with mental health issues really need. There are real mental health issues before, during, and after the pandemic (when the pandemic is actually over). Using them as a smoke screen to get non-essential businesses open is worse than not trying at all.

Mental health is yet another area where the party leader is way ahead of the majority of his MPs and MP candidates. Love that there is a plan; hope O'Toole can rally his members on mental health.

We searched for a Bloc Quebecois election ad and could not find one. This CBC News report gives some insight on promises by the party in this election.

We do find Quebec premier François Legault's neutrality in this election to be intriguing. Quebec will have its provincial election next year. Trudeau has worked with Legault on a number of issues.

CanadianCrossing.com Manitoba coverage

Brian Pallister announced his retirement as premier of Manitoba on August 10. Pallister made that official as of Wednesday. The Progressive Conservatives went with Manitoba MLA and deputy premier Kelvin Goertzen as the party's interim leader and new premier. Goertzen is expected to be in the post for 2 months with a new party leader emerging at that point.

There are 3 candidates so far in the party leadership race: former PC cabinet minister Heather Stefanson, backbencher Shannon Martin, and former Conservative MP Shelly Glover. Manitoba has never had a female premier (Martin is a male).

Pallister has been the premier since 2016. He has been under fire for a number of issues from how Manitoba handled the pandemic to his extensive time spent in Costa Rica. You might remember that he called the election a year early in 2019, an actual genius move versus having an election in 2020.

The real question for these GTA voters is: Why is @nationalpost asking such lazy questions about #elxn44. Voters have needs and concerns: housing, food, jobs, climate crisis. #cdnjournalism https://t.co/dRIEbkfKfc

— Chad Rubel (@canadian_xing) September 4, 2021

Theoretical questions lead to theoretical answers and confused speculation. NDP leaders get a lot of, well, stupid theoretical questions by lazy journalists. The answer to those questions can still make news.

NDP leader Jagmeet Singh said he couldn't work with then Conservative leader Andrew Scheer in 2019 in a potential minority government. Singh did not rule out working with Conservative leader Erin O'Toole in 2021.

The Conservatives had a minority government under Stephen Harper from 2006-2011. They didn't work with any party but kept government running. The question really is asking whether the NDP would take down a minority government if the Conservatives had more seats than any other party.

Technically, the Liberals (because they are the current party in power) would have first chance to form government so the non-Conservative parties might have enough seats to make that work. Chances of this happening are smaller than my chance to be the Toronto Maple Leafs backup goalie for a day.

Singh would try to work concessions from O'Toole in that scenario. Doesn't mean that will work. All Singh is saying is that he would try with O'Toole where he wouldn't try with Scheer,

The NDP is campaigning on the fact that their party has won concessions from Justin Trudeau, especially helpful during the pandemic. There is no scenario where Singh wins as many concessions with O'Toole. Liberals are talking pharmacare while the Conservatives aren't.

The better question to ask Singh is what he might want from the Conservatives if they did win a minority government.

photo credits: TVA; CPAC
Twitter captures: @canadian_xing
video credits: Green Party of Canada; CBC News

Canadian film review: Mars et Avril

"I'm more interested in the way a woman sounds." That is the English translation to a line in Mars et Avril | Mars and April. The idea of love being about something different than the typical beauty categories is one of the many intriguing layers to this story.

Those layers include breathing, musical instruments, age, time, music, photography, and of course, love.

The film takes place in Montréal where Earthlings are about to reach Mars. Jacob Obus (Jacques Languirand) can slow down time by playing instruments inspired by women's bodies. Arthur (Paul Ahmarani) designs the instruments.

Photographer Avril (Caroline Dhavernas) uses Arthur to get to meet Jacob, who is much older than her. Jacob and Arthur both fall in love with Avril.

Canadian film review: Far Side of the Moon

This film reminded me of Far Side of the Moon (2003) from Robert Lepage. Arthur physically reminded me of André, one of the "twin" brothers in the film. Lepage's head plays Arthur's father as a hologram in Mars et Avril. Jean Asselin plays the role of the body of Arthur's father.

Beauty is not as simple as society aesthetics: a larger woman is desired for a musical instrument. Avril is a photographer but not necessarily for the physical self.

Avril has trouble breathing but finds breathing easier when she is around Jacob. Jacob is a successful musician who plays songs about love but is a virgin. Arthur wants to be physical with Avril who wants something different from Jacob.

The expedition to Mars is side by side with the primary story but later gets intertwined. There is a lot going on in the film. You can certainly absorb the content with the symbolism or enjoy as is.

Writer/director Martin Villeneuve — yes, younger brother of Denis Villeneuve — also wrote the photo novels for which the film is based. This was Villeneuve's feature debut and still only feature he has done. Languirand, Lepage, and Ahmarani among others were also featured in the photo novels. Marie-Josée Croze portrayed April in the books, but due to a schedule conflict, Dhavernas was cast as April. Turns out Dhavernas and Croze were university roommates with Villeneuve.

Another fun Easter egg: Dhavernas' mother, Michèle Deslauriers, is the Montréal Teleportation Service's voice in the film (and in real life).

CanadianCrossing.com film reviews

CanadianCrossing.com film coverage

Americans and English Canadians might be surprised how good Dhavernas is at speaking French, but French is her first language.

Every time I think I don't enjoy science fiction, I find exceptions such as Orphan Black and this 2012 film. Your humble narrator was delighted to be in this world and sad when the film ended.

Mars et Avril | Mars and April was nominated for 4 Canadian Screen Awards: Best Adapted Screenplay (Martin Villeneuve); Achievement in Visual Effects; Achievement in Overall Sound; and Achievement in Music.

video credit: YouTube/EmaFilmsQuebec
photo credit: Mars et Avril | Mars and April film