Polytechnique (film)

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Not to be confused with Polytechnic (film).
Polytechnique
Theatrical release poster
Directed byDenis Villeneuve
Written byJacques Davidts
Denis Villeneuve
Produced byDon Carmody
Maxime Rémillard
Starring
Cinematography
Remstar
Wild Bunch[1]
Release date
  • February 6, 2009 (2009-02-06)
Running time
77 minutes[2]
CountryCanada
LanguagesFrench[3]
English[2]
Budget$6 million
Box office$1.4 million[4]

Polytechnique is a 2009 Canadian

Sebastien Huberdeau, and Karine Vanasse, the film is based on the 1989 École Polytechnique massacre (also known as the "Montreal Massacre") and re-enacts the events of the incident through the eyes of two students (Huberdeau and Vanasse) who witness a gunman
(Gaudette) murder fourteen young women.

After a release in Quebec in February 2009, it was featured in the 2009 Cannes Film Festival. It received numerous honours, including nine Genie Awards, notably Best Motion Picture.

Plot

A

Polytechnique Montreal, an engineering school, and enters a classroom during class with a rifle. He orders the men to leave and the women to stay. They comply after he shoots into the ceiling to show that he is serious. He tells the women that he hates feminists
. Although the women deny being feminists, he shoots at them, killing some and wounding others. He then moves through corridors and the cafeteria, specifically targeting women.

One of the male students is Jean-François, who was ordered to leave the classroom. Instead of fleeing the scene, he returns to try to stop the killer and/or help the victims. Valérie and Stéphanie, two surviving women, play dead thinking the killer has returned, although Stéphanie later dies of her injuries.

Finally, the killer reaches another classroom where he kills a female lecturer. He then commits suicide, and his blood mixes with the blood of his victim.

Some time after the massacre, Jean-François, feeling guilty for complying with the order to leave the classroom and abandoning the women, commits suicide by carbon monoxide poisoning. Valérie, wearing the Iron Ring, the professional ring of Canadian engineers, learns she is pregnant. She makes plans to tell a potential son to be loving or a potential daughter that the world belongs to her.

Cast

Karine Vanasse stars as Valérie and helped produce the film.[5]

The rest of the cast listed alphabetically:

  • Marie-Evelyne Baribeau as Student
  • Mireille Brullemans as Admission Office's secretary
  • Larissa Corriveau as the Killer's neighbour
  • Sophie Desmarais as Female Student (3rd floor corridor)
  • Jonathan Dubsky as Frightened Student
  • Marina Eva as Student at the party
  • Emmanuelle Girard as Student behind speakers
  • Nathalie Girard as Injured student
  • Adam Kosh as the Killer's roommate
  • Manon Lapointe as the Killer's mother
  • Pierre-Xavier Martel as Security Agent
  • Anne Trudel as Student behind speakers

Production

Development

Karine Vanasse, who played Valérie, helped produce Polytechnique, and wanted to make a film about the massacre for years. She helped secure director Denis Villeneuve for the film, who at the time was respected for making the 2000 film Maelström.[5] Despite the sensitivity to the incident in Quebec, Villeneuve asserted it was not too soon for a film, and that there was an important conversation to be had.[6]

Vanasse researched by speaking to the families of women killed in

École Polytechnique de Montréal. In the film, one of the women tells The Killer that the students are not feminists, with Vanasse explaining, "One of the women who was there told me that it was the first time in her life that she had to confront her femininity head on".[5]

Filming

Collège Ahuntsic was a filming location.

École Polytechnique de Montréal gave the filmmakers the right to use the campus as a location, but Villeneuve opted against filming there to be respectful.

Cégep de Maisonneuve and Collège Ahuntsic as well as Griffintown and Westmount.[3] Villeneuve shot the film in black and white, so as to avoid the presence of blood on screen.[8]

There were two versions of the film produced, one in English and one in French. The director Denis Villeneuve hoped the film would enter into the

English-Canadian market, as well as the U.S. one.[3] Villeneuve said the subject matter was challenging for the cast and crew to work with.[7]

Release

Polytechnique was screened at the Directors' Fortnight at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival on 17 May.[9][10] It was also featured in festivals in London, Spain and Namur in fall 2009.[11]

The film was released on 6 February 2009, in Quebec,

Remstar had sold screening rights to around 12 countries.[11]

Alliance Films and Remstar released the film on DVD and Blu-ray in August 2009, along with French language documentary films on the real massacre.[8] It was showcased in the Museum of Modern Art in New York City in summer 2011.[15]

Reception and legacy

Box office

The film grossed $326,000 in Quebec cinemas during its opening weekend, ranking first at the Quebec box office.[16] In English Canadian areas, it grossed $100,000.[11] It was considered a financial hit in Quebec.[8]

Critical response

The film has received mostly positive reviews from film critics. Review aggregator

Canwest News Services gave the film four stars out of five; "The paradox may sound grotesque, but it must be stated loud and clear: Denis Villeneuve and the cast of Polytechnique have transformed the tragedy of the Montreal Massacre into a work of profound beauty."[20]

Critics compared Polytechnique, favorably and/or unfavorably, to

Screen Daily gave the film a favourable review, writing "Polytechnique is a formalist interpretation of an atrocity, with a cool perspective on the events and much for audiences to read between the frames as the film moves back and forth through time."[23] Time Out gave it four stars, saying it avoided tabloid journalism and foreshadowed the message of forgiveness in the face of horror in Incendies.[25]

Accolades

In presenting the Rogers Best Canadian Film Award to Polytechnique in January 2010, Toronto Film Critics Association president Brian D. Johnson called it a "film of astonishing courage."[26]

Award Date of ceremony Category Recipient(s) Result Ref(s)
Genie Awards 12 April 2010 Best Motion Picture Maxime Rémillard and Don Carmody Won [27][28]
Best Direction Denis Villeneuve Won
Best Actress Karine Vanasse Won
Best Supporting Actor Maxim Gaudette Won
Best Original Screenplay Jacques Davidts Won
Best Cinematography Pierre Gill Won
Best Editing Richard Comeau Won
Best Overall Sound
 Stéphane Bergeron, Pierre Blain, Jo Caron and Benoit Leduc Won
Best Sound Editing Claude Beaugrand, Guy Francoeur, Carole Gagnon and Christian Rivest Won
Best Score Benoît Charest Nominated
Best Makeup Djina Caron and Martin Rivest Nominated
Jutra Awards 28 March 2010 Best Film Maxime Rémillard and Don Carmody Nominated [29]
Best Direction Denis Villeneuve Won [30]
Best Supporting Actor Maxim Gaudette Won
Best Cinematography Pierre Gill Won
Best Editing Richard Comeau Won
Best Sound Pierre Blain, Claude Beaugrand and Stéphane Bergeron Won
Best Original Music Benoît Charest Nominated
Toronto Film Critics Association 16 December 2009 Best Canadian Film Won [26]

Notes

  1. ^ Examples:

See also

References

  1. ^ "Polytechnique". Wild Bunch. Retrieved 2021-03-23.
  2. ^ a b "Polytechnique - BBFC". Retrieved 2022-03-23.
  3. ^ a b c Nicoud, Anabelle (9 April 2008). "Polytechnique : film bilingue". La Presse (in French). Retrieved 2021-03-23.
  4. ^ "Polytechnique (2009) - Financial Information". The Numbers. Retrieved 2023-08-14.
  5. ^ a b c Patriquin, Martin (26 January 2009). "The first big film about ... Dec. 6, 1989". Maclean's. Vol. 122, no. 2. p. 48.
  6. ^ a b St-Pierre, Caroline (29 January 2009). "Polytechnique: le drame aurait dû être mis à l'écran plus tôt, dit Villeneuve". The Canadian Press.
  7. ^ a b Wyatt, Nelson (13 May 2008). "Villeneuve says Cannes will be much-needed break after editing 'Polytechnique'". The Canadian Press.
  8. ^ a b c Wyatt, Nelson (4 September 2009). "'Polytechnique' DVD revisits Dec. 6, 1989, massacre at Montreal university". The Canadian Press.
  9. Canoe.ca
    (in French).
  10. ^ Martin, Peter (18 May 2009). "Cannes in 60 Seconds: Sunday, May 17, 2009". Moviefone. Archived from the original on 21 May 2009. Retrieved 7 December 2012.
  11. ^ a b c "Le film 'Polytechnique' a déjà été vendu dans une dizaine de pays". The Canadian Press. 28 August 2009.
  12. ^ Szlarski, Cassandra (18 March 2009). "'Polytechnique' tackles dark day twice over, in two languages". The Canadian Press.
  13. Montreal Gazette. Canwest. Archived from the original
    on 26 January 2016. Retrieved 11 November 2012.
  14. Montreal Gazette. Canwest. Archived
    from the original on 30 January 2013. Retrieved 11 November 2012.
  15. ^ "'Polytechnique' de Denis Villeneuve à l'affiche du MoMA à New York". The Canadian Press. 29 June 2011.
  16. The Montreal Gazette. Archived
    from the original on 3 April 2017. Retrieved 3 April 2017.
  17. Fandango. Archived
    from the original on 9 May 2019. Retrieved 5 January 2020.
  18. CBS Interactive. Archived
    from the original on 7 August 2020. Retrieved 5 January 2020.
  19. ^ Howell, Peter (March 20, 2009). "Polytechnique: Silent witness". The Star. Toronto. Archived from the original on March 23, 2009. Retrieved May 22, 2010.
  20. The Calgary Herald
    .
  21. ^ a b Scott, A.O. (28 June 2011). "A Fictional Killer of Women Who Is All Too Familiar". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 4 April 2017. Retrieved 3 April 2017.
  22. ^ a b Nelson, Rob (18 May 2009). "Review: 'Polytechnique'". Variety. Archived from the original on 4 April 2017. Retrieved 3 April 2017.
  23. ^
    Screen Daily. 9 April 2009. Archived
    from the original on 19 February 2012. Retrieved 7 December 2012.
  24. ^ Bennett, Ray (19 May 2009). "Polytechnique -- Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 4 April 2017. Retrieved 3 April 2017.
  25. ^ Fear, David (28 June 2011). "Polytechnique". Time Out. Archived from the original on 4 April 2017. Retrieved 3 April 2017.
  26. ^ a b Ahearn, Victoria (January 13, 2010). "Toronto critics name 'Polytechnique' best film of '09". CTV Montreal News. Archived from the original on 27 February 2012. Retrieved 3 April 2017.
  27. ^ Strauss, Marise (1 March 2010). "Polytechnique leads Genie race". Playback. Archived from the original on 4 April 2017. Retrieved 3 April 2017.
  28. The Toronto Star. Archived
    from the original on 4 April 2017. Retrieved 2 April 2017.
  29. ^ Bailey, Patricia (8 March 2010). "Can anyone fix the Jutras?". Playback. Archived from the original on 4 April 2017. Retrieved 2 April 2017.
  30. ^ Mathieu, Annie (29 March 2010). "'J'ai tue ma mere' wins top Jutra prize, 'Polytechnique' wins most". The Canadian Press.

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Polytechnique_(film)&oldid=1216093023"