The Last Days of RVCQ’09

Three days remain in the premiere Québecois film festival, and for those yet to sample the films of 2008 and 2009, these last are not to be missed. What distinguishes the Rendez-vous du cinema québecois from others festivals in the city is that the majority of directors, producers, writers and stars are present at the screenings (oftentimes they are just a metro ride away), offering invaluable feedback for film fans.

THURSDAY,
FEBRUARY 26

2PM Catch a free presentation of 2 secondes, a feature-length film by Marion Briand at the Cinémathèque Québécoise. The film from 1998 is about a woman who returns to Montréal after retiring from professional cycling only to find her need for speed has stayed with her. She becomes a bike messenger and strikes up a relationship with another ex-cyclist. The film won countless awards at the Montréal World Film Festival that year and was nominated for most of the major categories at the Jutra Awards.

5:15PM Sébastien Rose’s educational thriller, Le banquet, may be the ticket to wake oneself up after a day at work and get ready for a night of film. It plays a the Cinémathèque Québécoise.

7PM-7:30PM Perhaps two too many options at this time slot. Three films may hold interest for filmgoers, and are all suggested viewing. At the Segal Center is the Montréal love story Adam’s Wall, about a young Jewish teenager who strikes a romantic chord with a Lebanese girl during the Middle East troubles. Playing at 7:30pm are Maxime Giroux’ Demain, part of the ‘new wave’ film series, and Denis Côté’s Elle veut le chaos, the B&W drama that has been the talk of international film festivals. The first plays at Beaubien and the second at the Cinémathèque Québécoise. Were I to suggest one of these three, I would like lean towards Elle veut le chaos; though it is likely to hit DVD shortly.

9:45PM At night, make sure you catch the series of short films playing the NFB Cinérobothèque, as part of the lineup includes Next Floor, a macabre fantasy short that premiered at the Montréal World Film Festival, and involves a table of strange folk barbarously feasting while the table falls from floor to floor. A delicious (har har) way to end the night.

FRIDAY,
FEBRUARY 27

2PM Like the previous day, the afternoon showing is free for all, and is a showing the late 90s classic Québecois film that spawned countless sequels and a television series. I’ll give you one guess (unless your eye has already caught the large font to follow): it’s about the country’s national past-time and stars some of the province’s idols. The movie is Les Boys and it’s playing at the Cinémathèque Québécoise.

7PM-7:30PM Decisions, decisions, decisions. Friday night they also come in threes in three separate locations. At the Cinéma du Parc, you have the chance of catching Borderline (read my review here). This may be of interest to those whose French is a little rough around the edges, as this particular screening will sport English subtitles. The director, Lyne Charlebois, will be present for questions. At the Cinémathèque Québécoise is Adrian Willis’ documentary, All Together Now, which is about the production and touring of the Cirque du Soleil’s LOVE based on music by The Beatles. Lastly, at the Beaubien cinema is Babine. With the most nominations at this year’s Jutras (though strangely enough, none for Best Picture), this may be the film of most interest. It is about a man who was thought to be the son of a witch and was born simple-minded. He soon becomes a superstitious character believed to be the cause of the local town’s numerous problems. Director Luc Picard will be present.

SATURDAY,
FEBRUARY 28

1PM-4PM All afternoon you can catch various series’ of short films, both live-action and animated. One such is Drux Flux, an experimental animated piece that borrows heavily from futurist and communist art. It was produced by the NFB and directed and conceived by Theodore Ushev. The great thing about these compilations is each piece is short and you never know what to expect.

7-7:30PM There are two films of interest on this time slot. Un été sans point ni coup sûr is a family film about father-son relationships and baseball (read my review here). If you’re bringing along a younger crowd, this is the safe bet as it is harmless viewing that won’t completely fry your brains either. Also, as it’s screening at Cinéma du Parc, English subtitles should help the language impaired (regardless, if you live here you should get around to being bilingual). Despite this being a decent film, if you’re out with an older crowd or alone and can speak French, I would suggest C’est pas moi, je le jure! My review pretty much sums up my feelings on it. Although I have yet to see Maman est chez le coiffeur, having watched this and the other nominees for this year’s Jutra Best Film, this should win by a long shot.

For a full list of all screenings, visit the official website here.