French actor turned director Xavier Legrand’s superbly performed first feature, Custody, was the kind of debut that budding filmmakers can only dream about. After premiering in Venice in 2017, where it won the Silver Lion, it went on to scoop up a slew of other prizes that culminated with four César Awards in France, including best picture.
In such instances, there’s always a risk of a sophomore slump, though that’s not really the term to apply to Legrand’s second movie, The Successor (Le Successeur), a bleak and tormented psychological thriller that made its world premiere in competition at San Sebastian. Let’s call it a case of swinging for the fences and hitting a foul ball that lands somewhere far off in the upper tiers, so much does this ambitious and well-made but extremely flawed film miss its mark.
Adapted by Legrand and Dominick Parenteau-Lebeuf from Alexandre Postel’s 2015 novel,...
In such instances, there’s always a risk of a sophomore slump, though that’s not really the term to apply to Legrand’s second movie, The Successor (Le Successeur), a bleak and tormented psychological thriller that made its world premiere in competition at San Sebastian. Let’s call it a case of swinging for the fences and hitting a foul ball that lands somewhere far off in the upper tiers, so much does this ambitious and well-made but extremely flawed film miss its mark.
Adapted by Legrand and Dominick Parenteau-Lebeuf from Alexandre Postel’s 2015 novel,...
- 9/27/2023
- by Jordan Mintzer
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
In “The Successor” — a provocative psychological thriller with a lot more actual psychology than the genre typically offers — Paris-based fashion designer Ellias Barnès (Marc-André Grondin) stands on the precipice of a breakthrough in his career. He’s poised to take his place as creative director of the fashion house Orsino, following the death of its eponymous founder. If this were a tale of corporate ambition (à la “Succession”), or perhaps a Roman palace intrigue, here is the moment that Ellias would assume the throne. But instead of feeling victorious, he clutches his chest. The anxiety is almost too much. And then the police arrive.
It’s taken more than a decade, but Ellias has done everything he can to distance himself from his biological father. As such, there’s an ironic perversity to the news he gets right after his stunning solo show for Orsino: His dad, Jean-Jacques, is dead,...
It’s taken more than a decade, but Ellias has done everything he can to distance himself from his biological father. As such, there’s an ironic perversity to the news he gets right after his stunning solo show for Orsino: His dad, Jean-Jacques, is dead,...
- 9/27/2023
- by Peter Debruge
- Variety Film + TV
Louis Garrel as Dorante and Isabelle Huppert as Araminte, in False Confessions, director Luc Bondy’s French-language adaption of Marivaux’s play “Les Fausses Confidences.” Photo courtesy of Big World Pictures ©
Romantic comedy with a French accent and a love letter to theater both describe the French-language False Confessions (Les Fausses Confidences), the last film by Swiss film, theater and opera director Luc Bondy. Bondy re-sets Marivaux’s 18th century classical play about love, “Les Fausses Confidences,” in modern-day Paris, and stars Oscar-nominee Isabelle Huppert (Elle) and Louis Garrel as the would-be lovers at the center of all the twists and deceits.
Fans of director Bondy, writer Marivaux, the film’s star Isabelle Huppert or just theater in general, will find much to like in this enjoyable, clever film adaption. Passions, doubts, jealousies and tempers are all aroused in this dizzy, funny tale, in a production that blends film and theater in a creative fashion.
Romantic comedy with a French accent and a love letter to theater both describe the French-language False Confessions (Les Fausses Confidences), the last film by Swiss film, theater and opera director Luc Bondy. Bondy re-sets Marivaux’s 18th century classical play about love, “Les Fausses Confidences,” in modern-day Paris, and stars Oscar-nominee Isabelle Huppert (Elle) and Louis Garrel as the would-be lovers at the center of all the twists and deceits.
Fans of director Bondy, writer Marivaux, the film’s star Isabelle Huppert or just theater in general, will find much to like in this enjoyable, clever film adaption. Passions, doubts, jealousies and tempers are all aroused in this dizzy, funny tale, in a production that blends film and theater in a creative fashion.
- 7/14/2017
- by Cate Marquis
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Big World Pictures
Founded in 2013 and run almost single-handedly by Jonathan Howell, Big World Pictures is a non-profit distribution outfit dedicated to bringing the best in world cinema to film enthusiasts across the United States.
“As an expansion of the mission of our critically-acclaimed short film distribution wing, The World According to Shorts, Big World Pictures is dedicated to bringing the best in world cinema to film enthusiasts across the United States. We acquire only three to four feature films annually for theatrical release, in addition to several short films (to be released through The World According to Shorts), and ten to twelve feature films annually for video/VOD/TV release.”
Opening at Laemmle’s Royal in L.A. day and date with New York’s Lincoln Plaza Cinemas on June 23, Luc Bondy’s modern-day adaptation of the classic Marivaux play, “False Confessions”, starring Isabelle Huppert, Louis Garrel and Bulle Ogier...
Founded in 2013 and run almost single-handedly by Jonathan Howell, Big World Pictures is a non-profit distribution outfit dedicated to bringing the best in world cinema to film enthusiasts across the United States.
“As an expansion of the mission of our critically-acclaimed short film distribution wing, The World According to Shorts, Big World Pictures is dedicated to bringing the best in world cinema to film enthusiasts across the United States. We acquire only three to four feature films annually for theatrical release, in addition to several short films (to be released through The World According to Shorts), and ten to twelve feature films annually for video/VOD/TV release.”
Opening at Laemmle’s Royal in L.A. day and date with New York’s Lincoln Plaza Cinemas on June 23, Luc Bondy’s modern-day adaptation of the classic Marivaux play, “False Confessions”, starring Isabelle Huppert, Louis Garrel and Bulle Ogier...
- 6/6/2017
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
Keep up with the wild and wooly world of indie film acquisitions with our weekly Rundown of everything that’s been picked up around the globe. Check out last week’s Rundown here.
– Grasshopper Film has announced the acquisition of all U.S. distribution rights to Michael Almereyda’s new documentary “Escapes,” a dynamic portrait of Hampton Fancher, executive produced by Wes Anderson. “Escapes” will open in theaters this summer followed by a VOD and Home Video release in the fall.
“Escapes” showcases the storytelling talents of Hampton Fancher, flamenco dancer, film and TV actor, and the unlikely producer and screenwriter of the landmark sci-fi classic “Blade Runner,” as well as screenwriter on the upcoming sequel “Blade Runner 2049.” Fancher’s running commentary – with a little help from Philip K. Dick and Ridley Scott – works in concert with extensive archival footage as Fancher relates death-defying escapades from a remarkable life.
– Grasshopper Film has announced the acquisition of all U.S. distribution rights to Michael Almereyda’s new documentary “Escapes,” a dynamic portrait of Hampton Fancher, executive produced by Wes Anderson. “Escapes” will open in theaters this summer followed by a VOD and Home Video release in the fall.
“Escapes” showcases the storytelling talents of Hampton Fancher, flamenco dancer, film and TV actor, and the unlikely producer and screenwriter of the landmark sci-fi classic “Blade Runner,” as well as screenwriter on the upcoming sequel “Blade Runner 2049.” Fancher’s running commentary – with a little help from Philip K. Dick and Ridley Scott – works in concert with extensive archival footage as Fancher relates death-defying escapades from a remarkable life.
- 3/10/2017
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
While Canadians are days away from hitting the polls to determine the next government, Chloé Robichaud, the filmmaker who broke out with her Cannes Un Certain Regard selected Sarah Prefers to Run is trading the athletic podium for….the political one. Among the new generation of French Canadian female filmmakers, her sophomore effort entitled Pays has its cast in place and is ready to roll. First-timer Nathalie Doummar is joined by Macha Grenon, Yves Jacques, Rémy Girard and Alexandre Landry (Louise Archambault’s Gabrielle) are among those to join the project. To be readied for 2016, the pic is produced by La Boîte à Fanny’s Fanny-Laure Malo (Sarah préfère la course), Item 7’s Pierre Even et Marie-Claude Poulin (Brooklyn) and Morag Loves Company’s Barbara Doran (The Grand Seduction).
Gist: Not imagining herself as a candidate in the federal election, 25 year-old Félixe (Nathalie Doummar) has more difficulty coming to terms after winning her riding.
Gist: Not imagining herself as a candidate in the federal election, 25 year-old Félixe (Nathalie Doummar) has more difficulty coming to terms after winning her riding.
- 10/7/2015
- by Eric Lavallee
- IONCINEMA.com
Kidman as Kelly: A sure thing for the 86th Academy Awards Best Actress roster? Could Nicole Kidman earn a Best Actress Academy Award nomination early next year for playing 1954 Oscar winner Grace Kelly in Grace of Monaco? Is it to soon to start with Oscar 2014 predictions? Hardly. After all, bear in mind that The Weinstein Company has already bought the North American rights to the Olivier Dahan-directed Grace of Monaco, which, according to reports, will possibly be released some time around Christmas 2013. Also, let's not forget that Kidman has already received no less than three Academy Award nods in the last decade, winning the golden statuette a decade ago for Stephen Daldry's three-part drama The Hours. (Pictured above: Grace of Monaco's star Nicole Kidman as Hollywood star turned princess Grace Kelly. Please scroll down to check out another cool Kidman as Kelly photo below.) Oh, but wait a...
- 2/28/2013
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Director: Xavier Dolan Writer: Xavier Dolan Starring: Nathalie Baye, Melvil Poupaud, Monia Chokri, Suzanne Clément, Yves Jacques, Guylaine Tremblay, Catherine Bégin, Sophie Faucher I would like to dance to Xavier Dolan movies -- especially Laurence Anyways, which screened in Cannes’ Un Certain Regard section -- I love the rhythm, I like the aesthetics, I appreciate the good companionship; yet, Laurence causes me some troubles. I gave Dolan a lot of credit after watching his truly amazing Les amours imaginaires (2010). Today, I am fond of his latest movie but I am considering the French-Canadian director as an author. Watching Laurence as an individual piece of art might develop into annoyance or into deep fascination. That opinion is good enough to make one go to the cinema, spend nearly three hours of their life there and decide on which side it is better to be –- among those who think that the...
- 5/19/2012
- by Anna Bielak
- SmellsLikeScreenSpirit
"The sky's the limit," Fred (Suzanne Clement) says when she's asked about what people will say when her boyfriend Laurence (Melvin Poupad) decides to become a woman. It's 1989 and she believes that her generation is ready to handle transsexuality -- and perhaps they are -- but as both Fred and Laurence soon find out, their intellectual capacity to deal with the transition may not survive the rigors of the heart. The young director Xavier Dolan has proven he's anything if not divisive, and his latest, "Laurence Anyways," will do nothing to change that. But as messy as it is, as much as the film overreaches and overplays its hand, "Laurence Anyways" is also exciting for the very ambition and narrative daring that it contains.
For Laurence, becoming a woman is a matter of survival. He compares his life to holding his breath underwater for over 30 years, with the decision to...
For Laurence, becoming a woman is a matter of survival. He compares his life to holding his breath underwater for over 30 years, with the decision to...
- 5/18/2012
- by Kevin Jagernauth
- The Playlist
Sometimes it pains me to say when a film is an unwatchable mess. Films like French Immersion, the directorial debut of Quebec-based producer Kevin Tierney (Bon Cop, Bad Cop, The Trotsky, Good Neighbours), has an incredible amount of talent in front of the camera and behind it. It is supposed to be a comedy about the differences between English and French speaking Canada, but instead it’s a soul-sucking train wreck full of punchlines so misguided they would make Jeff Foxworthy and Larry the Cable Guy think twice. Sickeningly unfunny and dreadfully “Canadian,” Tierney’s film strikes out on almost every conceivable level.
There’s enough plot and quirky characters in French Immersion to sustain a year’s worth of television pilots, but Tierney tries to pack every half baked idea he has into a single film. The film deals with five English speakers forced to enter into an intense...
There’s enough plot and quirky characters in French Immersion to sustain a year’s worth of television pilots, but Tierney tries to pack every half baked idea he has into a single film. The film deals with five English speakers forced to enter into an intense...
- 10/7/2011
- by Andrew Parker
- DorkShelf.com
Unlike last year's two filmmaker/film horse race between Denis Villeneuve's Polytechnique and Xavier Dolan's J'ai tué ma mere, this year it was all "Villeneuve" and "Incendies". Repeating his wins in all the same categories it won at the Canadian Oscars (Genies) this week (this includes Editing, Screenplay, Best Cinematography by the excellent André Turpin, Best Actress in Lubna Azabal (who forced here co-star Melissa Desormeaux-Poulin to give her own thank you speech). These wins more than makes up for his loss last year when Villeneuve won the Best Director honor for Polytechnique, but lost in the Best Film category to J'ai tué ma mere. The predictable 13th edition also saw a Genie-Jutra winner from Barney's Version and in the Animated Film category, the Nfb (naturally) supported Theodore Ushev added a Jutra to his Genie for Lipsett Diaries. Best Film/meilleur film 10 1/2 - Pierre Gendron (Zoofilms) Les amours imaginaires - Xavier Dolan,...
- 3/14/2011
- IONCINEMA.com
The teaser of the upcoming Canadian comedy French Immersion, which will be directed by Kevin Tierney, is now online. The film will be released on Canada Day, which means on July 1rst.
The film was shot in St-Césaire, Québec.
The story takes place in the fictitious small town of Saint-Isidore-du-Coeur-de-Jésus. The inhabitants of the town will welcome for two weeks a group made of four English Canadians and an American from New York in order to give them a "French immersion". While they live with their adoptive family, the five WASPs must follow one rule: not to speak English during their stay.
However, any of the Wasp who manages to escape to their French school's iron fist go in the town's new Indian (as in India) restaurant. In fact, they feel free to speak English. However, the five WASPs learn that every inhabitants of the town are, in actuality, spies...
The film was shot in St-Césaire, Québec.
The story takes place in the fictitious small town of Saint-Isidore-du-Coeur-de-Jésus. The inhabitants of the town will welcome for two weeks a group made of four English Canadians and an American from New York in order to give them a "French immersion". While they live with their adoptive family, the five WASPs must follow one rule: not to speak English during their stay.
However, any of the Wasp who manages to escape to their French school's iron fist go in the town's new Indian (as in India) restaurant. In fact, they feel free to speak English. However, the five WASPs learn that every inhabitants of the town are, in actuality, spies...
- 2/24/2011
- by anhkhoido@gmail.com (Anh Khoi Do)
- The Cultural Post
Yesterday, the nominees for the 13th Jutra Awards ceremony were revealed. The winners of this Quebecker Oscar will be revealed next month. The following is the full list of nominees.
Best motion picture:
* 10 1/2
* Les amours imaginaires
* Curling
* Incendies
* Les signes vitaux
Best director:
* Denis Côté- Curling
* Xavier Dolan- Les amours imaginaires
* Kim Nguyen - La cité
* Podz (Daniel Grou) - 10 1/2
* Denis Villeneuve- Incendies
Best leading actress:
* Lubna Azabal - Incendies
* Suzanne Clément - Tromper le silence
* Mélissa Desormeaux-Poulin - Incendies
* Évelyne Rompré- 2 fois une femme
* Guylaine Tremblay- Trois temps après la mort d'Anna
Best leading actor:
* Jay Baruchel - The Trotsky
* Emmanuel Bilodeau - Curling
* Jacques Godin - La dernière fugue
* Claude Legault - 10 1/2
* François Papineau - Route 132
Best supporting actress:
* Dorothée Berryman - Cabotins
* Marie Brassard - Les signes vitaux
* Geneviève Chartrand - Le journal d'Aurélie Laflamme
* Isabelle Miquelon - La dernière fugue
* Danielle Proulx...
Best motion picture:
* 10 1/2
* Les amours imaginaires
* Curling
* Incendies
* Les signes vitaux
Best director:
* Denis Côté- Curling
* Xavier Dolan- Les amours imaginaires
* Kim Nguyen - La cité
* Podz (Daniel Grou) - 10 1/2
* Denis Villeneuve- Incendies
Best leading actress:
* Lubna Azabal - Incendies
* Suzanne Clément - Tromper le silence
* Mélissa Desormeaux-Poulin - Incendies
* Évelyne Rompré- 2 fois une femme
* Guylaine Tremblay- Trois temps après la mort d'Anna
Best leading actor:
* Jay Baruchel - The Trotsky
* Emmanuel Bilodeau - Curling
* Jacques Godin - La dernière fugue
* Claude Legault - 10 1/2
* François Papineau - Route 132
Best supporting actress:
* Dorothée Berryman - Cabotins
* Marie Brassard - Les signes vitaux
* Geneviève Chartrand - Le journal d'Aurélie Laflamme
* Isabelle Miquelon - La dernière fugue
* Danielle Proulx...
- 2/11/2011
- by anhkhoido@gmail.com (Anh Khoi Do)
- The Cultural Post
From July 13th to the 18th, the Just for Laughs Festival will hod its 14th edition of Just for Laughs Film in Montreal. Besides, The Cultural Post got wind of Just for Laughs Film's line-up.
First of all, speaking about Canadian feature films, there will be two ones: Alain Desrochers's Cabotins and Seth W. Owen’s Peepers. The first film stars Rémy Girard, Yves Jacques, Dorothée Berryman, Gilles Renaud and Pierre-François Legendre. It tells the story of a ruined ex-showman and actor who would like to get back in the world of burlesque theatre with his former colleagues and organize a tour. As for Peepers, it stars Joe Cobden, Paul Spence, Jessica Paré, Janine Theriault and Ricky Mabe. It tells the story of three men who sneak across Montreal's rooftops with binoculars. However, a young female student gives to these men a taste of their own game.
Furthermore, the...
First of all, speaking about Canadian feature films, there will be two ones: Alain Desrochers's Cabotins and Seth W. Owen’s Peepers. The first film stars Rémy Girard, Yves Jacques, Dorothée Berryman, Gilles Renaud and Pierre-François Legendre. It tells the story of a ruined ex-showman and actor who would like to get back in the world of burlesque theatre with his former colleagues and organize a tour. As for Peepers, it stars Joe Cobden, Paul Spence, Jessica Paré, Janine Theriault and Ricky Mabe. It tells the story of three men who sneak across Montreal's rooftops with binoculars. However, a young female student gives to these men a taste of their own game.
Furthermore, the...
- 6/11/2010
- by anhkhoido@hotmail.com (Anh Khoi Do)
- The Cultural Post
Yesterday, the first images of the upcoming Canadian comedy French Immersion made their appearance on the web site Lecinema.ca. Note that these pictures were taken on the set of the film in St-Césaire, Quebec.
The story takes place in the fictitious small town of Saint-Isidore-du-Coeur-de-Jésus. The inhabitants of the town will welcome for two weeks a group made of four English Canadians and an American from New York in order to give them a "French immersion". While they live with their adoptive family, the five WASPs must follow one rule: not to speak English during their stay.
However, any of the Wasp who manages to escape to their French school's iron fist go in the town's new Indian (as in India) restaurant. In fact, they feel free to speak English. However, the five WASPs learn that every inhabitants of the town are, in actuality, spies who constantly keep an eye on them.
The story takes place in the fictitious small town of Saint-Isidore-du-Coeur-de-Jésus. The inhabitants of the town will welcome for two weeks a group made of four English Canadians and an American from New York in order to give them a "French immersion". While they live with their adoptive family, the five WASPs must follow one rule: not to speak English during their stay.
However, any of the Wasp who manages to escape to their French school's iron fist go in the town's new Indian (as in India) restaurant. In fact, they feel free to speak English. However, the five WASPs learn that every inhabitants of the town are, in actuality, spies who constantly keep an eye on them.
- 6/5/2010
- by anhkhoido@hotmail.com (Anh Khoi Do)
- The Cultural Post
Yesterday, the Winnipeg Free Press published an article about the casting of Canadian director Kevin Tierney's upoming comedy, French Immersion.
This will be the directorial debut of Kevin Tierney who has always worked as a producer. The film will talk about the old topic about the division between French and English speakers in Canada.
The story follows five English-speakers: one each from Alberta, Saskatchewan, Newfoundland, Ontario and New York. The five of them decide to go in a small town of Quebec to learn French in a school. Besides, the school is run with an iron fist: everything must be done in French. Besides, the five participants are under constant surveillance, because they have to live in an adoptive family of the village during their two-weeks stay. However, those who escaped from the school's grip in order to speak English at the village's Indian restaurant will realize that everybody...
This will be the directorial debut of Kevin Tierney who has always worked as a producer. The film will talk about the old topic about the division between French and English speakers in Canada.
The story follows five English-speakers: one each from Alberta, Saskatchewan, Newfoundland, Ontario and New York. The five of them decide to go in a small town of Quebec to learn French in a school. Besides, the school is run with an iron fist: everything must be done in French. Besides, the five participants are under constant surveillance, because they have to live in an adoptive family of the village during their two-weeks stay. However, those who escaped from the school's grip in order to speak English at the village's Indian restaurant will realize that everybody...
- 5/26/2010
- by anhkhoido@hotmail.com (Anh Khoi Do)
- The Cultural Post
It was a two for two kind of day yesterday. I was there on opening night for I Killed My Mother in the Director's Fortnight section and one year later, almost to the exact date, I'm there again to assist in a true love fest for Xavier Dolan preems Les Amours imaginaires. - It was a two for two kind of day yesterday. I was there on opening night for I Killed My Mother in the Director's Fortnight section and one year later, almost to the exact date, I'm there again to assist in a true love fest for Xavier Dolan preems Les Amours imaginaires. You can tell the cinematic and literary influences that inspire the filmmaker and I'd bet that the filmmaker explores the possibilities of an international career by making films out of France, rather than French Canada. The tapestry for this modern warfare is beautiful, how...
- 5/16/2010
- IONCINEMA.com
It was a two for two kind of day yesterday. I was there on opening night for I Killed My Mother in the Director's Fortnight section and one year later, almost to the exact date, I'm there again to assist in a true love fest for Xavier Dolan preems Les Amours imaginaires. You can tell the cinematic and literary influences that inspire the filmmaker and I'd bet that the filmmaker explores the possibilities of an international career by making films out of France, rather than French Canada. The tapestry for this modern warfare is beautiful, how Dolan frames himself and the Jackie O of the film in actress Monia Chokri is exquisite, soundtrack is bliss and the lighting is lush. The final wink in this Un Certain Regard selected film does hold a special surprise (not a plot twist, but actor inclusion) - I'm hoping that it doesn't get revealed in the trades.
- 5/16/2010
- IONCINEMA.com
Novem, a production company owned by TV host Véronique Cloutier, announced the production of many feature films. In fact, the first one is called Cabotins. It will be in Quebec's theatres on July 23, 2010.
The film was directed by Alain Desrochers, scripted by Ian Lauzon and produced with a budget of $4,800,000.
It tells the story of Marcel (Rémy Girard), a former actor and producer of variety shows. He now lives in the countryside. Moreover, his wife left him and he's financially down on his luck. In order to get his life back on track, he goes to Montreal in order to recruit former colleagues. Indeed, Marcel wants to make a reunion stage show. Marcel will come across Lady Moon (Yves Jacques), a transvestite; Lucie (Dorothée Berryman), a comedian; and Roger (Gilles Renaud), an old crooner. The three of them accept, but insist that Marcel hires Pedro (Pierre-François Legendre), Marcel's son. However,...
The film was directed by Alain Desrochers, scripted by Ian Lauzon and produced with a budget of $4,800,000.
It tells the story of Marcel (Rémy Girard), a former actor and producer of variety shows. He now lives in the countryside. Moreover, his wife left him and he's financially down on his luck. In order to get his life back on track, he goes to Montreal in order to recruit former colleagues. Indeed, Marcel wants to make a reunion stage show. Marcel will come across Lady Moon (Yves Jacques), a transvestite; Lucie (Dorothée Berryman), a comedian; and Roger (Gilles Renaud), an old crooner. The three of them accept, but insist that Marcel hires Pedro (Pierre-François Legendre), Marcel's son. However,...
- 5/5/2010
- by anhkhoido@hotmail.com (Anh Khoi Do)
- The Cultural Post
In Competition
Seventeen years after firmly establishing his filmmaking reputation with the internationally acclaimed "The Decline of the American Empire," Canada's Denys Arcand has reunited the film's cast for "Les Invasions Barbares"("The Barbarian Invasions") with richly rewarding results.
Last in Cannes in 2000 with the festival closer "Stardom", a strained satire about the cult of celebrity that took pot shots at an easy target, Arcand returns in top form.
While "Les Invasions Barbares" retains much of the astutely observed acerbic wit that was a hallmark of his 1986 survey of male-female sexual mores, the new film finds the writer-director with quite a bit more on his plate.
An eloquent, achingly reflective taking of stock, the picture is unmistakably Arcand's most personal to date and, coming near the end of a Cannes run that has been woefully lacking substance, it would have to be considered a serious Palme d'Or contender.
Arcand wastes little time in getting to the heart of the matter: College professor Remy (Remy Girard) is lying in a hospital bed with a terminal illness and while his lothario days may finally be behind him, there are still plenty of other things that manage to get him all fired up.
Chief among them is his thorny relationship with his estranged son, Sebastien (Quebec humorist Stephane Rousseau), a very successful financial mover and shaker who has flown in from his London base to take care of his father's affairs and support his long-divorced mother (Dorothee Berryman).
Using his business savvy to cut through a mass of bureaucratic red tape, Sebastien finds that a little greasing of the right palms gets the job done when it comes to getting his father a private room and, subsequently, a regular supply of heroin to help ease his dad's pain along with someone to administer it (Marie-Josee Croze), the junkie daughter of Remy's old friend and ex-lover Diane (Louise Portal).
Meanwhile, Remy's old gang has come back to visit him, with the passage of time finding them older but not necessarily wiser in respect to getting a handle on the meaning of life.
The specter of mortality may be hanging over his characters, but this is no ponderous disease-of-the-week , weep-fest. Among the many subjects that get caught in the sharply satirical crossfire are the Catholic Church, Canada's overextended health care system, labor unions, immigration, and law and order, just to name a few.
Arcand also manages to work the matter of 9/11 into the mix, without its inclusion feeling opportunistic or forced, as has been the case with a number of other recent films.
His ensemble, meanwhile, shines ever brightly. Led by Girard, who turns in a feisty, fiery performance that is more alive than most of those played by perfectly healthy characters, the rest of the cast, including Johanne Marie Tremblay as a non-judgmental Catholic hospital nurse plus "Decline" originals Pierre Curzi, Yves Jacques and Dominique Michel, are uniformly splendid.
Behind the camera, cinematographer Guy Dufaux, production designer Francois Seguin, editor Isabelle Dedieu and composer Pierre Aviat work beautifully in unison to make Arcand's little meditation on life and death at the turn of the 21st Century as aesthetically pleasing as it is affecting.
Les Invasions Barbares
Pyramide
A Cinemaginaire and Pyramide presentation
Credits:
Director-screenwriter: Denys Arcand
Producers: Denise Robert, Daniel Louis
Director of photography: Guy Dufaux
Production designer: Francois Seguin
Editor: Isabelle Dedieu
Costume designer: Denis Sperdouklis
Music: Pierre Aviat
Cast:
Remy: Remy Girard
Sebastien: Stephane Rousseau
Nathalie: Marie-Josee Croze
Gaelle: Marinia Hands
Louise: Dorothee Berryman
Soeur Constance: Johanne Marie Tremblay
Pierre: Pierre Curzi
Claude: Yves Jacques
Diane: Louise Portal
No MPAA rating
Running time -- 99 minutes...
Seventeen years after firmly establishing his filmmaking reputation with the internationally acclaimed "The Decline of the American Empire," Canada's Denys Arcand has reunited the film's cast for "Les Invasions Barbares"("The Barbarian Invasions") with richly rewarding results.
Last in Cannes in 2000 with the festival closer "Stardom", a strained satire about the cult of celebrity that took pot shots at an easy target, Arcand returns in top form.
While "Les Invasions Barbares" retains much of the astutely observed acerbic wit that was a hallmark of his 1986 survey of male-female sexual mores, the new film finds the writer-director with quite a bit more on his plate.
An eloquent, achingly reflective taking of stock, the picture is unmistakably Arcand's most personal to date and, coming near the end of a Cannes run that has been woefully lacking substance, it would have to be considered a serious Palme d'Or contender.
Arcand wastes little time in getting to the heart of the matter: College professor Remy (Remy Girard) is lying in a hospital bed with a terminal illness and while his lothario days may finally be behind him, there are still plenty of other things that manage to get him all fired up.
Chief among them is his thorny relationship with his estranged son, Sebastien (Quebec humorist Stephane Rousseau), a very successful financial mover and shaker who has flown in from his London base to take care of his father's affairs and support his long-divorced mother (Dorothee Berryman).
Using his business savvy to cut through a mass of bureaucratic red tape, Sebastien finds that a little greasing of the right palms gets the job done when it comes to getting his father a private room and, subsequently, a regular supply of heroin to help ease his dad's pain along with someone to administer it (Marie-Josee Croze), the junkie daughter of Remy's old friend and ex-lover Diane (Louise Portal).
Meanwhile, Remy's old gang has come back to visit him, with the passage of time finding them older but not necessarily wiser in respect to getting a handle on the meaning of life.
The specter of mortality may be hanging over his characters, but this is no ponderous disease-of-the-week , weep-fest. Among the many subjects that get caught in the sharply satirical crossfire are the Catholic Church, Canada's overextended health care system, labor unions, immigration, and law and order, just to name a few.
Arcand also manages to work the matter of 9/11 into the mix, without its inclusion feeling opportunistic or forced, as has been the case with a number of other recent films.
His ensemble, meanwhile, shines ever brightly. Led by Girard, who turns in a feisty, fiery performance that is more alive than most of those played by perfectly healthy characters, the rest of the cast, including Johanne Marie Tremblay as a non-judgmental Catholic hospital nurse plus "Decline" originals Pierre Curzi, Yves Jacques and Dominique Michel, are uniformly splendid.
Behind the camera, cinematographer Guy Dufaux, production designer Francois Seguin, editor Isabelle Dedieu and composer Pierre Aviat work beautifully in unison to make Arcand's little meditation on life and death at the turn of the 21st Century as aesthetically pleasing as it is affecting.
Les Invasions Barbares
Pyramide
A Cinemaginaire and Pyramide presentation
Credits:
Director-screenwriter: Denys Arcand
Producers: Denise Robert, Daniel Louis
Director of photography: Guy Dufaux
Production designer: Francois Seguin
Editor: Isabelle Dedieu
Costume designer: Denis Sperdouklis
Music: Pierre Aviat
Cast:
Remy: Remy Girard
Sebastien: Stephane Rousseau
Nathalie: Marie-Josee Croze
Gaelle: Marinia Hands
Louise: Dorothee Berryman
Soeur Constance: Johanne Marie Tremblay
Pierre: Pierre Curzi
Claude: Yves Jacques
Diane: Louise Portal
No MPAA rating
Running time -- 99 minutes...
- 5/22/2003
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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