Pascale Bussières Movies
An actress whose performances combine understated passion with carefully modulated intensity, Pascale Bussières is one of the most compelling -- and most steadily employed -- members of the French Canadian and Canadian film industries. Thirteen years after she was born in Québec on June 27, 1968, Bussières broke into the acting profession as the star of Micheline Lanctôt's Sonatine (1984). A coming-of-age drama set in three parts, it featured Bussières as a young teen infatuated with a bus driver, and marked an auspicious debut for the actress.Bussières would again collaborate with Lanctôt on the 1992 film Deux Actrices, in which she played a woman whose life is interrupted by the appearance of a disheveled older woman who claims to be her older sister. Her work in this film, along with her substantial roles in Charles Biname's internationally acclaimed Eldorado (1995) and the widely celebrated CBC miniseries Blanche (1993) did much to heighten Bussières' exposure.
Bussières garnered further recognition on the art house circuit with her starring turn as an unhappily married professor who falls in love with a seductive circus performer (Rachel Crawford) in Patricia Rozema's When Night Is Falling (1995), after which she went on to do steady work in both film and television. Among her more notable projects were Denis Villeneuve's Un 32 Aout Sur Terre, which was screened at the 1998 Cannes Festival, and Jeremy Podeswa's The Five Senses (1999), an ensemble drama that cast Bussières as an improbably well-appointed prostitute. In addition, the actress continued her collaboration with director Biname for the two films that completed the trilogy begun by Eldorado, Le Coeur Au Poing (1998) and La Beauté de Pandore (2000), the latter of which starred her in the title role of a woman who becomes involved in a disastrous affair with a married man. ~ Rebecca Flint Marx, Rovi
- 2011
In this comedy from Kevin Tierney, four strangers from different parts of North America meet in Quebec to attend Isidore-du-Coeur-de-Jésus, an French language program for adults, where everyone seems to end up acting like teenagers. ~ Cammila Collar, Rovi
- Starring:
- Olunike Adeliyi, Dorothee Berryman, (more)
As helmed by Gilles Bourdos, this supernatural thriller - a Franco-German-Canadian co-production - continues John Malkovich's career-long tradition of playing offbeat, enigmatic figures with a menacing air. Romain Duris stars as Nathan Del Amico, an attorney doubly haunted by his past, as the survivor of a near-death experience as a child and a witness of his own baby's death. As a product of these crises, Nathan has buried himself in his work and now suffers from a bad case of familial estrangement from his separated wife Evangeline Lilly and little girl. Then the mysterious Dr. Kay (Malkovich) turns up, claiming that he has clairvoyant visions informing him when someone is about to die - a gift as a "messenger" that enables him to make each person's transition out of life a smooth and easy one. Suddenly, upon hearing Kay's claims, Nathan feels his death-laden memories double in intensity - and grows increasingly convinced that either he now stands on the verge of death, or that he has the same messenger abilities as Kay. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi
- Starring:
- John Malkovich, Evangeline Lilly, (more)
- 2008
A man struggles to come to term with his neuroses and a startling secret in this independent comedy-drama from writer and director Jean-Marc Piche. As the story opens, Leo (Yannick Bisson) is lying in his bathtub, trying to work up the nerve to kill himself with the razor blade in his hand. We learn that Leo suffers from severe agoraphobia and has been unable to leave his apartment for the past two years. Thankfully, Leo's career as a website designer allows him to work at home, and he's been fortunate enough to meet Carly (Pascale Bussieres), a beautiful and caring woman who is willing to deal with his problems. However, as taken as Carly is with Leo's wit and intelligence, she's come to the end of her patience with his phobias, and isn't about to continue their relationship unless he's willing to get help. But Leo can't take the next step, and during a conversation with his would-be gangster landlord Joe (Kenneth Walsh), we discover that there's more to Leo's troubles than he's been letting on. Nothing Really Matters received its world premiere at the 2008 Montreal World Film Festival; Gord Downie, lead singer with the popular Canadian rock band the Tragically Hip, appears in a supporting role as a thief. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Yannick Bisson, Pascale Bussières, (more)
In 2030, China races against an international team to be the first to land astronauts on Mars. ~ Rick Toy, Rovi
- Starring:
- Michael Riley, Lothaire Bluteau, (more)
The true-life quest of a terminally-ill ten-year-old boy who longs to capture the most beautiful butterfly on the planet comes to life on the screen in a touching drama directed by Léa Pool and starring Academy Award-winner William Hurt. In order to appreciate life to its fullest, an ageing entomologist learns that sometimes all you have to do is come out of your cocoon. When the young boy's mother convinces the renowned insect-expert to accompany her son on the journey of a lifetime, the courage that the terminally-ill child shows in realizing his dream inspires a man who has lived his entire life in a lab to get outside, connect with his fellow man, and experience the wonder of nature firsthand. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- William Hurt, Pascale Bussières, (more)
- 2003
Pascal Bonitzer's heavily plotted comedy Petites Coupures (Small Cuts) opens with journalist Bruno (Daniel Auteuil) and his wife, Gaelle (Emmanuelle Devos), having it out over his affair with Nathalie (Ludivine Sagnier). After an invitation from Bruno's uncle Gerard (Jean Yanne), Bruno and Nathalie travel to the town where Gerard is mayor. Bruno learns that his aunt is having an affair. Gerard is aware of his wife's infidelity and asks Bruno to take a letter to the man who has cuckolded him, a doctor named Verekher (Hanns Zischler). On his way to the doctor's home he meets Marie (Dinara Droukarova), and once there he encounters the mysterious Beatrice (Kristin Scott Thomas). Small Cuts was screened at the Berlin Film Festival. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi
- Starring:
- Daniel Auteuil, Kristin Scott Thomas, (more)
- 2002
A scientist living in Tokyo is sent to a small Canadian town to study the tides in this visually inventive feature from director Manon Briand. Suspecting that the cecassion of the tides may indicate an impending earthquake, Seismologist Alice (Pascale Bussieres) arrives in her hometown of Baie-Comeau, Quebec to commence her investigation. Soon confronted by numerous figures from her past, the unusual weather and inexplicable behavior of the citizens lead Alice to believe that something beyond her comprehension is occurring to her old hometown. With a mysterious waitress (Genevive Bujold), a lusting woman, a pack of nuns, a sleepwalking child and a widower pilot who grows ever closer to Alice all factoring into the strange goings on, it seems as if human emotions may have somehow played an integral part in the sudden climate shift. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Pascale Bussières, Julie Gayet, (more)
Friendship turns to love, and unrequited love leads to a dangerous obsession in this moody drama. Nathalie (Emmanuelle Beart) and Louise (Pascale Bussieres) grew up together and had been close friends since childhood, but while both were studying drama in their early twenties, their friendship went through an abrupt shift -- while beautiful Nathalie enjoyed flirting with the men in her classes, Louise's interest in her best friend turned into infatuation, and when Nathalie indulged herself in a brief fling with a young actor, Louise was overcome with anger and jealousy and tried to kill herself. Nathalie was told by Louise's family that she didn't want to see her any more, and a decade passed before their paths would cross again. Louise is now married to a man named Nicolas (Sami Bouajila), and one night they go to the theater to see a touring production of a new play. To her surprise, Louise discovers the female lead is played by Nathalie; after the show, she slips backstage to say hello, and soon finds that she's as strongly attracted to Nathalie as ever -- and that Nathalie is involved with Matthias (Dani Levy), the gifted but difficult playwright who wrote and directed the production. Leaving Nicolas behind, Louise follows Nathalie to Denmark, and is able to pull a few strings to get Nathalie an audition with Walter Amar (Jean-Pierre Kalfon), a well-known and well-respected theatrical director. Nathalie soon leaves Matthias' show to star in Amar's new production of Lulu, and Louise volunteers to help Nathalie as she prepares for the role. Nathalie appreciates Louise's support and friendship, but she soon begins to chafe under Louise's obsessive attention, and she wonders if history might be repeating itself. La Repetition was shown in competition at the 2001 Cannes Film Festival, with writer and director Catherine Corsini earning a nomination for the coveted Golden Palm award. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Emmanuelle Béart, Pascale Bussières, (more)
- 2001
In this offbeat mixture of sci-fi and film noir influences, Tobi (Attila Bertalan), who is a junk dealer and small-time hustler stranded on a dying planet of losers and cast-offs, is desperate to leave and find a better life on Earth. Tobi has learned that a gang of Russian émigrés can arrange passage to Earth, but that leaves Tobi with the difficult task of finding the Russians, and then finding a way to pay his fare. Tobi's best bet for raising the cash is his friend, Tony Lee (Russell Yuen), who has a rare gift for playing cards, but Tobi also has to contend with the scheming of Carmella (Kena Molina), a seductress who says she'll do anything for Tobi; Tobi's supposed friend Louis (Gerald Gagnon); and Louis' significant other (Pascale Bussieres), who enjoys playing Louis and Tobi against each other. Between the Moon and Montevideo was shot on location in Cuba to give the film an unusual and weather-beaten look; Attila Bertalan, who plays Tobi, also served as director and screenwriter. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Attila Bertalan, Pascale Bussières, (more)
- 2000
Director Charles Biname rounds out his trilogy of Canadian urban malaise films (Eldorado and Le coeur au poing being the first two works) with this film about a one night stand gone horribly, horribly wrong. Not long after Vincent (Jean-Francois Casabonne) meets the vivacious Pandore (Pascale Bussieres) at the Montreal port for a business meeting, the two are soon rolling around in a hotel room. Vincent's ardor cools for the lass when he learns of her ominous secret, and his button-down wife Ariane (Maude Guerin) walks out on him. ~ Jonathan Crow, Rovi
- Starring:
- Pascale Bussières, Maude Guerin, (more)
French filmmaker Anne-Sophie Birot makes her writing and directing debut with the coming-of-age drama Les Filles Ne Savent Pas Nager, given the unfortunate English title Girls Can't Swim. Every year, Gwen (Isild Le Besco) meets up with her best friend Lise (Karen Alyx) for a summer on the beach in Brittany. Since Gwen has grown into a reckless teenager and her parents are experiencing financial problems, this year is decidedly different. She develops an interest in sex, starts dating Frédo (Julien Cottereau), and looks for other boys to fool around with. Her dad, Alain (Pascal Elso), sells his boat, her mom, Céline (Pascale Bussières), starts working to support the family, and, worst of all, Lise doesn't come to the beach. Meanwhile, back in the city, Lise finds out her absent father has died, which causes much grief to her mother (Marie Rivière) and older sisters (Yelda Reynaud and Sandrine Blancke). Having never met her father and wanting to escape her family's trauma, she travels by herself to Brittany. Without telling anyone what's bothering her, Lise is pensive and brooding while Gwen is thirsty for adventure, leading to a major fight between the two girls. With Gwen running around on her own and Céline at work, Lise and Alain are left to form an unlikely friendship, which takes a dark turn and leads to a tragic conclusion. Girls Can't Swim premiered at the 2000 Montreal Film Festival. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, Rovi
- Starring:
- Isild Le Besco, Karen Alyx, (more)
- 1999
In this French Canadian drama, a man going through some difficult life experiences find things become even more complicated when his ex re-enters his life. Max (James Hyndman) is an artist who has lost the use of his legs and is confined to a wheelchair. Fortunately, he still has many close friends and his loft serves as a salon for a variety of like-minded bohemians, including a self-centered sculptor, Mortimer (Yves Jacques); the slightly dim Julius (Michel Charette); and Maggie (Jacynthe Rene), who has no qualms about posing for Max in the nude. However, Max's well-ordered existence is upset when he hears from Lucie (Pascale Bussieres), his former girlfriend before an ugly breakup. Lucie has taken it upon herself to punish Max for their acrimonious parting, and she bombards him with a variety of obscene or annoying phone calls, taunts him as a cripple, and has sex with another man in an apartment across the street, clearly visible to Max through his window. Meanwhile, Max's best friend Laurel (Pierre-Luc Brillant) has his own ghosts from the past to deal with; he's recently discovered the identity of his birth mother, who gave him up for adoption when he was still an infant. Laurel would like to meet her, but his adopted mother, Pauline (Louise Portal), would prefer that the biological mother stay in his past. Director Jean Beaudin collaborated with novelist Monique Proulx for this adaptation of Proulx's book Homme Invisible a la Fenetre. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- James Hyndman, Pascale Bussières, (more)
Five characters serve as metaphors for the five senses in this drama about human relationships from Canadian filmmaker Jeremy Podeswa. Ruth (Gabrielle Rose) works as a massage therapist; one day while giving a rubdown to Anna (Molly Parker), Ruth's teenage daughter Rachel (Nadia Litz) takes Anna's toddler daughter for a stroll in the park. However, Rachel loses track of the child and she's soon lost. While searching for her, Rachel meets Rupert (Brendan Fletcher), a voyeur who teaches her about the pleasures of observing others. Meanwhile, Robert (Daniel MacIvor) is a professional house cleaner with an unusually keen sense of smell. Convinced he can smell love, he starts to set up meetings with all of his former lovers to see if he can sniff out any feelings for him -- and, if not, find out why they stopped caring for him. Robert's friend Rona (Mary-Louise Parker) works as a baker but has no sense of taste, a severe occupational hazard. She also has romantic problems, thanks to the arrival of Roberto (Marco Leonardi), a man she met on a recent vacation in Italy. Finally, Richard (Philippe Volter) is an eye doctor who is losing his hearing. While this situation has left him horribly depressed, he meets a woman who helps him feel better about life. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Mary-Louise Parker, Philippe Volter, (more)
- 1998
Montreal director Charles Biname (Eldorado) and novelist Monique Proulx used actor improvs as a basis for this screenplay look at life in Montreal. Unhappy Louise (Pascale Montpetit) can't connect with her career-minded sister Paulette (Anne-Marie Cadieux). To make matters worse, her lover Julien (Guy Nadon) is a married father with little time to spend seeing Louise -- so she takes to the streets, informing people at random that her services are available for exactly 60 minutes. Some talk away their hour, while others desire sex. One couple want Louise to play doctor-nurse with them, and a middle-aged woman has her dispose of a dead pet. Quebec celebrities seen in cameos include Montreal Festival of New Cinema director Claude Chamberlan. ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi
- Starring:
- Pascale Montpetit, Guy Nadon, (more)
- 1998
Jacques Leduc directed and co-scripted (with Jacques Marcotte) this Canadian-French co-production, a drama about an aging Montreal woman, Caroline (Annie Girardot), in her 60s and contemplating impending death. She destroys old correspondence, cleans her apartment by putting furniture in the street, and looks back on her life (as revealed via flashbacks and a film crew interviewing her daughters). Caroline's brief marriage to an Englishman gave her one daughter, successful businesswoman Rachel (Domini Blythe), and an affair with a rebel in the Congo resulted in her other daughter Myriam (Sheila Rose). Further memories rise to the surface when Caroline joins her long-time friend Maureen (France Castel) for a black-tie reception where their community work in Africa brings them an Order of Canada award. Music by avant-garde Montreal composer Jean Derome. Shown at the 1998 Cannes Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi
- Starring:
- Annie Girardot, France Castel, (more)
- 1998
Music-video director Denis Villeneuve made his feature directorial debut with this Canadian drama about an auto accident aftermath. When Simone (Pascale Bussieres) nods off at the wheel, her car goes out of control. She escapes any serious physical injury, but her life changes direction nevertheless. She cancels a planned trip to Italy, quits her modeling job, and calls her friend Philippe (Alexis Martin) with the suggestion that they have a baby together. He agrees, but only with the condition that they do it in the desert, so the two soon leave Montreal for Utah. Shown in the Certain Regard section at the 1998 Cannes Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi
- Starring:
- Pascale Bussières, Alexis Martin, (more)
- 1998
Swiss born Léa Pool, who settled in Montreal, Quebec in 1975, set her sixth feature film, Emporte-Moi, in Mile's End, Montreal's working class district, in the year 1963. Hanna is a thirteen-year-old girl who is mesmerized by Anna Karina's portrayal of Nana S. in Jean-Luc Godard's film Vivre sa Vie. She thinks Nana S. looks like her teacher, with whom she hopes to establish a special bond. Hanna has her share of problems at home. Her father (Miki Manojiovic) is a stateless Jew and an unrecognized poet with a tormented soul. Her mother (Pascale Bussiéres) is a fragile and overworked young Catholic from Quebec, and their marriage is not ideal. Fortunately, she has her older brother (Alexandre Mérineau) to share her experiences and her close friend Laura Charlotte Christeler who attracts Hanna because she is so different and so sensual. Growing up in her limited circumstances, Hanna gradually realizes that like the character in Godard's film, she, too, is free to determine her future ... and with freedom comes responsibility. Miki Manojlovic, who plays the father, is a Belgrade born actor who is particularly known for his roles in the films of Emir Kusturica; he is quite convincing in the role of the affectionate but impulsive father. The young actress Karine Vanasse, who plays Hanna, carries the responsibility of her role very well and writer Nancy Huston, who collaborated on the screenplay, fits her role as the teacher in her screen debut. Emporte-Moi is definitely a woman's film, not only because the director, producer, screenwriter and even the director of photography are all women, but also in the way these women have collaborated in creating a work that specifically reflects a woman's point of view. The film competed at the 49th International Berlin Film Festival in 1999. ~ Gönül Dönmez-Colin, Rovi
- Starring:
- Karine Vanasse, Alexandre Merineau, (more)
- 1997
Tom Waits narrates this documentary about Manitoba filmmaker Guy Maddin (Tales from the Gimli Hospital, Careful, Archangel), seen directing Twilight of the Ice Nymphs. Stills, clips, and home movies are combined with talking-head interviews with friends, actors, and co-workers, tracing the troubled life he led as a youth in Winnipeg. Shown in 1997 at the Vancouver and Toronto film festivals. ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi
- Starring:
- Paul Cox, Pascale Bussières, (more)
- 1997
Set in a blazing land where the sun ceaselessly shines, this dramatic fantasy examines love's darker aspects. After years of incarceration as a political prisoner, Peter Glahn (Nigel Whitney, who had his name removed from the credits because another actor redubbed his lines) finally returns to Mandragora via ship. During the voyage, he encounters the glamorous Julianna (Pascale Bussieres), and falls deeply in love. Before he can act upon it, the radiant beauty mysteriously disappears. Once home he goes to see his sister Amelia (Shelley Duval) on the family ostrich farm. Poor homely Amelia is pining for the love of snake-in-the-grass Dr. Solti (R.H. Thompson) who is busy controlling the lives of Juliana and Zephyr (Alice Krige), a fisherman's widow. Solti toys with these women, but he is actually in love with a statue of Venus, a magical sculpture that seems strangely drawn towards Zephyr. Continuing frustration causes Amelia's smouldering passion for Solti to erupt into a conflagration of grisly violence. A challenging film from idiosyncratic Canadian filmmaker Guy Maddin. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Pascale Bussières, Nigel Whitmey, (more)
- 1996
- R
Former IRA agent Sean Dillon comes to the rescue when a woman discovers a briefcase containing plans that could destroy all of Europe. Dillon's assignment is to protect her until the plans can be properly destroyed. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Kyle MacLachlan, James Kidnie, (more)
- 1996
Two young New Zealand cancer patients attempt to cope with their illness and the painful chemotherapy treatments in this upbeat drama. Kirk Mead is only 15 when doctors discover a cancerous tumor on his leg following a rollerblading accident. Both he and his family are understandably upset as he enters the hospital for his first treatments. While there, he meets the devilish Marty, a homeless teenage girl who was brought there by the police. Marty is as wild as Kirk is middle class and at first she drives him crazy with her tough attitude and constant mischief, but slowly the disparate duo become friends. One night, they escape the hospital and Marty shows Kirk Auckland's wildest and darkest sides. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
This Canadian drama tells the tale of Camille, who works at an uptight Protestant college as a professor of mythology. She has been going out with career theologian Martin for three years, but it appears her real true love is her dog, Bob. Bob dies in a tragic car accident and poor Camille is devastated. She is so upset that she grabs the wrong clothes from the laundromat. The clothes belong to the beautifully predatory Petra. Camille discovers the error and returns them to Petra's workplace, an avant-garde circus in an empty warehouse where Petra confesses that she switched them on purpose so she could seduce Camille. Camille demurs. Petra begins following her, and gets to kiss her in the lobby. Eventually the persistent Petra succeeds and the two become lovers. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Pascale Bussières, Rachael Crawford, (more)
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