Philippe Falardeau Movies
- 2008
La Moitié Gauche Du Frigo director Philippe Falardeau follows up that Toronto International Film Festival favorite with this darkly comic study in abandonment and innocence lost as related to a troubled young boy from an explosively dysfunctional family. Set in 1968, Falardeau's adaptation of Bruno Herbert's novel centers on the early life experience of ten year old Leon (Antoine L'Écuyer in his screen debut). Leon's proclivity towards theft, vandalism, breaking and entering, running away from home, and failed suicide attempts might lead the casual observer to deduct that his parents were a horrifically mismatched pair prone to window-rattling domestic tiffs that are frequently punctuated by broken dishes and shredded paintings - a deduction that couldn't be more accurate considering the fact that his parents relationship is rapidly deteriorating. His father is distant, and his mother's conspiratorial approach to child-rearing ensures that Leon has precious few people to confide in outside of his best friend Lea, who seems to come from an equally discordant household. With each inch Leon's parents move towards the brink, their son's rebellion seems to increase tenfold. Later, when his mother abandons the family to start a new life in Greece and Lea announces her plans to move into a dictatorship, the young hellion embraces his wild side as never before. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Suzanne Clement, Antoine L'Écuyer, (more)
Two men who live in different nations on different continents discover how closely their fates have followed the same path in this drama from filmmaker Philippe Falardeau. Belgian engineer Michel Roy (Olivier Gourmet) looks after his ailing father Herve (Jean-Pierre Cassel) with the help of his wife Alice (Claudia Tagbo) and son Jules (Arnaud Mouithys). One day, Herve decides to share a long-held secret with his son -- Michel was actually adopted, and he was born to a poor family in Canada. Hoping to learn the truth about his birth parents, Michel flies to Quebec and makes his way to Sainte-Cecile, a farming community where Herve says he might find the truth about his heritage. After visiting with a priest sympathetic to his dilemma, Michel meets Louis Legros (Paul Ahmarani), whose electric auto sparks a conversation which leads to a fast friendship between them. As the narrative turns back to examine Louis' life and his efforts to publicize the work and theories of his father, a brilliant but little-known scientist, we see that Michel and Louis have been following similar paths throughout their lives, from unconventional births in Canada to a shared connection with the Congo. Congorama received its world premier at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival, where it was screened as part of the Directors Fortnight series. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Olivier Gourmet, Paul Ahmarani, (more)
- 2000
A documentary filmmaker and his subject find themselves at odds in this dark comedy from Canada. A mechanical engineer who has lost his job is trying to decide what to do with himself now that he needs to find a job. An actor who is looking to break into filmmaking hears of his predicament and asks to make a film about his life, following him with a camera until he can land a job. Without much else going on in his life, the engineer agrees, and soon the documentarian thinks he's hit pay dirt when the engineer begins romancing a supermarket check-out girl, even seducing her on camera. However, the filmmaker's political agenda is a great deal different than that of the engineer, and when he begins expressing his own controversial opinions while the engineer suffers through failing job interviews, things quickly become tense. La Moitie Gauche Du Frigo was named the Best Debut Canadian Feature at the 2000 Toronto International Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Stephane Demers
- 1996
A documentary containing many dramatized moments, this Canadian outing chronicles the September 3, 1759 "Battle of the Plains of Abraham," a key moment in Canadian history in which the English won dominion over the French in Quebec. The saga begins as the filmmakers interview aspiring rock musician Andrew Wolfe-Burroughs, a descendant of British General Wolfe, the man who successfully routed the French by launching a surprise attack. He offers some surprisingly critical comments upon his ancestor's conquest. The filmmakers then journey to France to speak with the eccentric Le Baron Georges de Marestan, a descendant of the French commander General Montcalm. He offers some rather radical views of the battle and the state of French democracy. Afterward, the interviewers return to Quebec to query historians and watch filmed reenactments of the battles. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
