Daniel Louis Movies

Stand-up comics Luc and Marco incur the wrath of humorless serial killer Roger (Michel Côté) after singling him out for ridicule during a live performance. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

A tragic loss sends a man on an aimless road trip away from responsibility in this drama from writer and director Louis Belanger. Gilles (Francois Papineau) is a college professor from Montreal whose life falls apart when his five-year-old son dies after a bout with meningitis. Unable to deal with his family or the decisions that lay in the wake of his boy's death, Gilles hops in his car and heads out to the country, where he meets up with his old friend Bob (Alexis Martin), who he hasn't seen in years. While Gilles became an academic, Bob supports himself as a small-time crook, and after a few drinks too many Gilles proposes they go into business knocking over banks. It turns out neither Gilles or Bob are cut out for serious larceny, and they end up drifting from one small town to another, with Gilles sinking deeper into booze and self-doubt, especially as he crosses paths with members of his family who have troubles of their own. As Gilles's bender continues, Bob is forced to become the responsible member of the duo. Route 132 was an official selection at the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Mambo Italiano director Émile Gaudreault takes the helm for this Montréal-set comedy drama pondering the unique relationships shared between mothers and daughters. As Clara's mother lay dying, she mournfully voices her regret for never taking the time to truly connect with her daughter. Emotionally shattered by this revelation, Clara vows that she will direct all of her energy into bonding with her twenty-one year old daughter Bianca. But sometimes when we probe to deeply into the lives of loved ones we find things that are unexpected and shocking. When Clara realizes just how little she really knows about Bianca, coping with the unsavory truth about her little girl proves more difficult than she ever anticipated. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Roy Dupuis stars as the first professional hockey player to score 50 goals in one season in director Charles Biname's docudrama tracing the life of Canadian sports legend Maurice "The Rocket" Richard. As a 17-year-old boy, Quebec native Richard labored the day away in a Montreal factory before lacing up his skates and hitting the ice. Richard's dream was to someday play on the national hockey league, and after years of hard work he eventually made that fantasy a reality. But Richard would accomplish much more than simply earning a spot on the biggest league in the country; his passion for the game eventually propelled him to become one of the most beloved players in hockey history. In 1955, when Richard was suspended for deliberately injuring another athlete on the ice, the outrage that erupted would culminate in the notorious riot at the Montreal forum. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Old World values collide with modern-day questions of sexual orientation in this ethnic comedy. Mambo Italiano tells the story of Angelo, a neurotic twentysomething preoccupied with the usual post-adolescent concerns: his job, his creative aspirations as a writer, and his longing to get out of his parents' house. He finally decides to take the plunge on his last goal, a decision that makes parents Gino (Paul Sorvino) and Maria (Ginette Reno) none too happy; they're not about to let one of their offspring leave the house without getting married. What they don't know is that Angelo is gay, a secret he's been keeping from everyone but his understanding older sister Anna (Claudia Ferri). A greater shock yet to the family is that Angelo is moving in with longtime crush Nino (Peter Miller), a local policeman whose sexuality is at odds with his macho profession. As the two lovebirds struggle to make sense of their relationship, both of their families chime in with opinions both helpful and not-so-helpful as they struggle to come to terms with their sons' new lives. Shot and set in Montreal, Mambo Italiano premiered stateside at the 2003 New York Gay and Lesbian Film Festival. ~ Michael Hastings, Rovi

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

French Canadian director Denys Arcand pushes the boundaries of the mockumentary with Stardom, the tale of a fictional neophyte supermodel (Jessica Pare) told entirely through clips of her appearances on talk shows, television interviews, and documentaries. Originally titled 15 Moments, Stardom begins its portrait at a women's hockey game in the nether regions of Ontario, Canada. When the team's formidable teenage forward Tina (Pare) pulls her helmet off, letting her brunette tresses fly, a bystander snaps a photo, and Tina soon becomes the buzz at the country's hottest fashion houses. Her rise through the industry, however, is plagued by advances from older men with sundry motives: a smitten French photographer (Charles Berling), a smarmy entrepreneur (Dan Aykroyd), the Canadian Ambassador to the U.N. (Frank Langella), and a slick promoter (Thomas Gibson, the latter half of TV's Dharma and Greg). Stardom was the closing film at the 2000 Cannes Film Festival, marking the first time in over 50 years that a Canadian production was chosen for such an honor; it would go on to open the 2000 Toronto International Film Festival before its theatrical premiere. ~ Michael Hastings, Rovi

Denise Filatrault wrote and directed this episodic Canadian comedy adapted from a novel by theater great Michel Temblay. Laura Cadieux (Ginette Reno) joins other overweight Montreal women at a doctor's office for their regular Wednesday diet injections. In truth, they love these weekly waiting-room gatherings as an opportunity for fun, frolic, spats, jokes, songs and dances. Shown at the 1998 Vancouver Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi

Valérie Kaprisky and Jean-François Pichette star in this predictable story of two people who meet on a train going from Montreal to Vancouver, a very long ride across Canada that gives them plenty of time to become romantically involved. Viewers may find that the evolution of the romance is as obvious as the train chugging along one track to its inevitable destination. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi