Our Loved Ones
Our Loved Ones | |
---|---|
Les êtres chers | |
Directed by | Anne Émond |
Written by | Anne Émond |
Produced by | Sylvain Corbeil Nancy Grant |
Starring | Maxim Gaudette Karelle Tremblay Valérie Cadieux Mickael Gouin |
Cinematography | Mathieu Laverdière |
Edited by | Mathieu Bouchard-Malo |
Music by | Martin Léon |
Production company | Metafilms[1] |
Distributed by | Les Films Séville |
Release date |
|
Running time | 102 minutes |
Country | Canada |
Language | French |
Our Loved Ones (
. The story centres on a family whose patriarch committed suicide in 1978, and explores the continuing emotional impact of his death on his now-adult son David (Gaudette) and David's daughter Laurence (Tremblay).The film was shot around Bas-Saint-Laurent. It received positive reviews and was nominated for seven Canadian Screen Awards, including Best Motion Picture.
Plot
In 1978, a young man named David returns to his home only to be told that his father has died of an apparent medical episode. David inherits his tools, and begins using them to make marionettes, eventually turning this hobby into a business. He raises a family, including a daughter named Laurence. Spoiling his daughter and keeping her happy, he even buys her a live turkey named Simone for Christmas, after Laurence was disappointed that the turkey she won when her mother entered her name into a grocery store raffle was frozen for dinner.
Years later, David employs his grown daughter and brother in his marionette-making business, only for his brother to abuse his trust and leave. David is also upset to learn that his father had actually committed
Cast
- Maxim Gaudette as David Leblanc
- Karelle Tremblay as Laurence Leblanc
- Valérie Cadieux as Marie
- Mickaël Gouin as André Leblanc
- Louise Turcot as Aline Leblanc
- Simon Landry-Desy as Félix
- Antoine Desrochers as Antoine[2]
Production
Director Anne Émond wrote the screenplay, saying she was readying herself to tell the story for 15 years and that it had parallels to hers. Her screenplay starts with a suicide set in 1978.[2] She explained, "It’s not entirely autobiographical. There’s an enormous amount of fiction in the film. But I think if I chose to write a film that talks about suicide in this fashion, it’s tied to an experience that’s personal."[3]
Émond was aware of actor Maxim Gaudette, but did not consider him for the main role until he auditioned.[4] Gaudette viewed it as a chance to play a role different from his characters in Incendies and Polytechnique.[5]
The film was shot in August and September 2014 in
Release
The film premiered at the Locarno Film Festival in August 2015,[6] and had its Canadian premiere at the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival.[7] In December, the film was announced as part of TIFF's annual Canada's Top Ten screening series of the ten best Canadian feature films of the year.[8]
The film had a wider theatrical release on 20 November 2015.[9]
Reception
Critical reception
In Canada, Brendan Kelly of
Joe Leydon, writing for Variety, complimented the film for "pitch-perfect performances and graceful storytelling."[14] In The Hollywood Reporter, Boyd van Hoeij praised it as "an expansive, richly detailed family chronicle."[15]
Accolades
Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref(s) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Canadian Screen Awards | 13 March 2016 | Best Motion Picture | Sylvain Corbeil and Nancy Grant | Nominated | [16] |
Best Direction
|
Anne Émond | Nominated | |||
Best Original Screenplay
|
Nominated | ||||
Best Actor | Maxim Gaudette | Nominated | |||
Best Actress | Karelle Tremblay | Nominated | |||
Best Editing
|
Mathieu Bouchard-Malo | Nominated | |||
Best Original Song
|
Martin Léon for "Red and Yellow" | Nominated | |||
Quebec Cinema Awards | 20 March 2016 | Best Film | Sylvain Corbeil and Nancy Grant | Nominated | [17] |
Best Director | Anne Émond | Nominated | |||
Best Screenplay | Nominated | ||||
Best Actor | Maxim Gaudette | Nominated | |||
Best Art Direction | Éric Barbeau | Nominated | |||
Best Editing | Mathieu Bouchard-Malo | Nominated | |||
Best Hairstyling | Martin Lapointe | Nominated | |||
Toronto Film Critics Association | 14 December 2015 | Stella Artois Jay Scott Prize
|
Anne Émond | Won | [18][19] |
References
- ^ "Our Loved Ones press kit" (PDF). Retrieved 13 January 2016.
- ^ a b c Charles-Henri Ramond (15 November 2015). "Etres chers, Les – Film d'Anne Émond". Films du Québec (in French). Retrieved 13 January 2016.
- The Montreal Gazette. Retrieved 2 January 2017.
- Le Journal de Montreal. Retrieved 2 January 2017.
- ^ a b Carl Theriault (18 September 2014). "Un nouveau Maxim Gaudette dans Les êtres chers". Le Soleil.
- ^ "Locarno: Wide Acquires Sales Rights to 'Our Loved Ones'". Variety. 27 July 2015.
- ^ "Films from Rozema, Falardeau, McDonald, Maddin highlight TIFF's Canuck lineup". Ottawa Citizen. 4 August 2015.
- ^ "TIFF reveals Canada's Top Ten Film Festival line-up". The Globe and Mail. 8 December 2015.
- The Montreal Gazette. Retrieved 2 January 2017.
- The Montreal Gazette. Retrieved 2 January 2017.
- ^ Tremblay, Odile (14 November 2015). "Le mal de vivre, selon Anne Émond". Le Devoir. Retrieved 2 January 2017.
- ^ Lussier, Marc-André (19 November 2015). "Les êtres chers: du côté de la vie". La Presse. Retrieved 2 January 2017.
- ^ Bell, Robert (11 September 2015). "Les êtres chers". Exclaim!. Retrieved 2 January 2017.
- ^ Joe Leydon (17 October 2015). "Film Review: 'Our Loved Ones". Variety. Retrieved 2 January 2017.
- ^ Boyd van Hoeij (18 September 2015). "'Our Loved Ones' ('Les Etres Chers'): TIFF Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2 January 2017.
- ^ Jessica Wong (19 January 2016). "Canadian Screen Awards 2016 nominations led by Room, Schitt's Creek, Orphan Black". CBC News. Retrieved 2 January 2017.
- ^ "18e soirée des Jutra: Les finalistes se dévoilent!" (in French). 25 January 2016. Archived from the original on 26 January 2016. Retrieved 25 January 2016.
- ^ "Stella Artois Jay Scott Prize". Toronto Film Critics Association. 30 May 2014. Retrieved 15 January 2016.
- ^ Jeremy Kay (5 January 2016). "Toronto critics hail 'The Forbidden Room'". Screen Daily. Retrieved 15 January 2016.
External links
- Our Loved Ones at IMDb
- Official website