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Canadian film review: Bon Cop Bad Cop

Any Canadian film that makes fun of Gary Bettman is a winner. While that is amazing, that point is one of many truly wonderful elements in Bon Cop, Bad Cop.

Martin Ward (Colm Feore) is Ontario and by the book. David Bouchard (Patrick Huard) is Quebec and not by the book. They have to come together to work on a case.

As interesting as the case may or may not be, the adventure comes in every small detail along the way. Language is crucial at key moments. Don't feel bad if you have to pause the film at points.

The chemistry and the script are sensational. You feel like you want the film to last twice as long, which is not to be confused with the sequel Bon Cop Bad Cop II, which is not nearly as good as the original.

There is also tension between the detectives because Bouchard is interested in Ward's sister Iris (Sarain Boylan).

You don't have to be a hockey fan to get some of the references, though that helps if you are a hockey fan.

We recommend using subtitles when watching the film, regardless of which language you speak. 

Bilingual Canadian actors tend to flow from French to English

Canadian film review: French Immersion

If you are a fan of the Bon Cop Bad Cop film, keep Kevin Tierney in mind. Tierney was involved in multiple elements of the film world. He saw a desire to explore the bilingual issue in Canadian film. The success of Bon Cop Bad Cop led him to do the film French Immersion, which we also recommend.

Tierney's son Jacob Tierney might be more familiar from his career as a filmmaker and as co-creator of Letterkenny.

Kevin Tierney co-wrote Bon Cop Bad Cop with Huard as well as Leila Basen and Alex Epstein. Érik Canuel directed the film.

Canadian film review: Bon Cop Bad Cop 2

Trying to find the quintessential Canadian film

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This may be the quintessential Canadian film, if one has to select a film title. The film is accessible, fun, silly, and clever. So very clever. 

The 2006 film received 10 Genies nominations in 2007, winning 2 Genie Awards for Best Motion Picture and Overall Sound.

Bon Cop Bad Cop is available in Canada on CBC Gem and Netflix in the United States.

photo credit: Bon Cop Bad Cop
video credit: YouTube/ParkExPictures

2023 Civic Holiday notebook: Justin Trudeau and Sophie Gregoire Trudeau get a separation

‘This is really sad’: Justin Trudeau and Sophie Grégoire Trudeau draw attention and sympathy as they announce separation https://t.co/MbPbfDk3qT

— Toronto Star (@TorontoStar) August 2, 2023

Justin Trudeau, the prime minister of Canada, and his wife Sophie Grégoire announced a separation this past week. The couple have been married since 2005. The couple have 3 children: Xavier (born 2007), Ella-Grace (2009), and Hadrien (2014).

The couple met again as adults. Grégoire was a classmate and childhood friend of Trudeau's late brother, Michel.

We are consistent in the sense that a separation is just that and to give said couple respect for the process.

William Lyon Mackenzie King and R.B. Bennett were Canadian prime ministers who never married. Sir Mackenzie Bowell was a widower. Kim Campbell was freshly divorced before taking on the role as prime minister in 1993. You might recall The Twentieth Century was about William Lyon Mackenzie King.

Canadian film review: The Twentieth Century

The most obvious comparison is the prime minister's father Pierre Trudeau. The elder Trudeau was not married when he took office in 1968. Trudeau and Margaret Sinclair were married on March 4, 1971. The couple were separated on May 27, 1977 yet did not divorce until April 2, 1984, a couple of months before Trudeau left office for the final time on June 30, 1984.

As we have seen, comparing the two Trudeau prime ministers is an exercise in failure.

Even before this announcement, there has been speculation as to whether Trudeau will hand the reins over to Chrystia Freeland before the next scheduled election in October 2025. There is no "First Lady" concept in Canada, unlike the United States.

We wish the couple of best of luck in working out a solution, politics aside.

We’re ready for it.

— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) August 3, 2023

Taylor Swift ignored Canada in recent announcement on her Eras tour in North America. Finally, Canada has been included for Taylor Swift fans … just until late in 2024.

The American singer-songwriter will play Rogers Centre for 6 dates in November 2024: November 14-16 and November 21-23.

We imagine that Swifties in western New York might find an advantage in seeing her in Toronto: the tickets would be cheaper with the exchange rate between U.S. and Canadian currencies.

We've written about Ottawa's light rail troubles and Toronto's confusion over light rail thanks to Ford Nation. Montréal has a new light-rail system, the REM. There are a few open stops with many more to come.

So far, you can get from Broussard on the South Shore to Gare Centrale. Eventually, the light rail will serve Trudeau Airport, a welcome addition to the Montréal transportation infrastructure.

The trip into downtown should reduce traffic on the Champlain Bridge, a route known for heavy travel from the south suburbs into downtown Montréal.

The Metro in Montréal is a very good system if where you need to go is along the system. Bus service in Montréal isn't bad but surprisingly sparse in the arrivals.

Construction moves slower than the old Grade B maple syrup in Quebec. At least we have some progress in the light rail in Montréal.

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Meta (Facebook) and eventually Google will deprive Canadians of news from Canada via their platforms thanks to Bill C-18. This should eventually get settled on some level but childish acts need to, somehow, be a part of this. 

We will have more tomorrow on this topic. Stay tuned.

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"Americans" complain that there are no holidays in August. Canada, well, most of Canada, celebrates a civic holiday on the first Monday in August. The name depends on where you are: Civic Holiday in Nunavut and the Northwest Territories. British Columbia Day, New Brunswick Day, and Saskatchewan Day are obvious.

The holiday is also Heritage Day (Alberta), Natal Day (Nova Scotia), and Terry Fox Day (Manitoba). There are different names in some Ontario cities, such as Simcoe Day (Toronto), John Galt Day (Guelph), and Colonel By Day (Ottawa).

Enjoy the holiday wherever you are in Canada. Canadian summers are too short.

Twitter captures: @TorontoStar; @JustinTrudeau
photo credits: @JustinTrudeau; Réseau express métropolitain

Canadian film review: Quebexit

This is the time of year when a lot of people in Quebec think about life without Canada. Québexit is a good film to watch with that in mind.

The film delves into life after Quebec becomes independent from the rest of Canada. The third referendum gets 50.12% of the vote. Québexit takes place at a crossing at the border with Quebec and New Brunswick. The battle is English and French with Indigenous sisters (Gail Maurice and Nicole Joy-Fraser) adding their own land concerns.

The decision to localize the battle on a side road personalizes the impact of an exit. The story features Quebec troops managing its border with Canadian troops on the New Brunswick border.

A film set at a border crossing might seem one with little joy. The script packs humour on many levels, a lot of language issues with English, French, and Cree. The 3-sided triangle is amplified by the fact that Joshua Demers (director) co-wrote the script with Maurice, who plays Meetos, and Xavier Yuvens, who plays Lt. Hassan.

Québexit stays away from the larger political picture in its satire, though former Quebec Premier René Lévesque is featured in the beginning of the film (and the start of the trailer). This is really a film about a border crossing in a place that isn't used to needing anyone to mark the distinction between Quebec and New Brunswick.

The 2020 film works on showing the commonalities within the people who are on different sides of the border crossing. Those looking for a larger picture of a separation won't find much here.

Québexit also features Alison Louder, Daniel Gravelle, Alexandre Côté, Mélanie Bray, Voytek Skrzeta, Inderpal Saluja, Valérie Descheneaux, Andrew White-Martin, Emmanuel Kabongo, Nathalie Nadon, Florian François, Pierre Simpson, Kyle McDonald, Keenan Grom, Samantha Brown, and Jennifer Vallance.

This is a rare film (My Internship in Canada leaps to mind) that is satire involving Quebec politics. Given the history of Canadian humour, we are surprised there isn't too much satire in Canadian films.

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Québexit is a great film to show if you are having a soirée for la Fête nationale du Québec, celebrated on June 24 for Saint-Jean-Baptiste ou la Saint-Jean.

Québexit is available on Tubi and Amazon Prime Video in the United States and available for rental via the National Film Board in Canada.

video credit: YouTube/Coconut Effect
photo credit: Québexit

Mourning the loss of The Main in Montreal

Ouch. Surprised at how much this hurts. An end to decades of The. Best. Smoked. Meat. In. Montreal. https://t.co/BQsZWjSNEt

— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) May 9, 2023

I remember eating at The Main in Montréal in my travels. Excellent smoked meat. The best? I don't want to disagree with the prime minister of Canada. I liked the smoked meat at The Main and Schwartz's, across from each other on St. Laurent Boulevard in Montréal.

The fun in Montréal is the competition. The Main and Schwartz's for smoked meat. St-Viateur and Fairmount for bagels. While I don't have a smoked meat preference, I do have a bagel preference: St-Viateur.

Our sibling blog, BalanceofFood.com, took a look at the closure of The Main as part of a bigger restaurant when you lose one of your favourite restaurants.

Mourning the loss of your favorite restaurant (BalanceofFood.com)

The smoked meat battle was also about style. Schwartz's had more flash and style while The Main quietly went about its business. If the line at Schwartz's was too long, you could go across the street.

End of an era with closure of The Main, an iconic Montréal deli (The Current CBC Radio)

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I hope to get back to Montréal this summer. A city I adore and have not been there in too long. I have a list of favourites in Montréal and plan to try some places where I have never eaten.

Twitter capture: @JustinTrudeau
photo credit: CFCF Montréal/CTV News
video credit: YouTube/Educate@DIYdocufilms

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

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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

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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.

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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