Emmanuel Bilodeau Movies

Director Denis Côté (Carcasses) steps behind the camera once again for this disturbing, often shocking study of a family in crisis. Jean-François (Emmanuel Bilodeau) is a fortysomething single father in a rural Quebec town; he's divorced from his ex-wife Rosie, who now bides her time in jail for an unspecified crime. Their daughter, Julyvonne (Philomene Bilodeau), is 12 years old and has a most unconventional lifestyle: instead of sending her to school, Jean-François keeps her at home while he's off working two jobs - one as a bowling alley maintenance man, and the other as a motel housekeeper. Home schooling may not be a concept unique to this clan, but Jean-François's educational methods are sketchy and questionable at best, and have put the adolescent severely behind other kids her age, in addition to making her socially withdrawn and vacant. One day, Julyvonne stumbles onto a startling discovery in the woods near the family home, and in lieu of reporting it as most children would, she reacts in an unusual way which reveals just how troubled she has become. Meanwhile, Jean-François suddenly grows exhausted with the father-daughter dynamic, decides to leave home permanently, and promptly instructs Julyvonne to raise herself. ~ Rovi

A melancholy athlete trades football for a new life as a hit man in this black comedy. Jean-Marc Thomas (Laurent Lucas) was once a reasonably successful professional soccer player, but after his career took a tailspin Thomas's girlfriend committed suicide, which sent him into a deep depression. Thomas moved to his late girlfriend's hometown of Montreal, and twelve years later has left sports behind for a career as a small-time criminal, though he still insists on carrying his soccer ball with him most of the time. While Thomas and his partner Michel (Pierre-Luc Brilliant) have barely mastered the art of knocking over doughnut shops and empty houses, a low-level crime boss has approached Thomas and asked him to consider becoming a hired killer. Thomas reluctantly agrees even though he has no idea of how to use a gun, and begins trailing his first target through Montreal in mid-winter. Sur La Trace d'Igor Rizzi (aka On The Trail of Igor Rizzi was the first feature film from Toronto-based writer and director Noel Mitrani. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

A female detective on the trail of a psychotic killer discovers love in a dangerous time in this thriller, based on the novel by Michael Pye. Illeana Scott (Angelina Jolie) is a special agent with the FBI who has a reputation for using offbeat methods, but also boasts a strong record as a criminal profiler. Scott is called in by a former Quantico colleague (Tcheky Karyo) to assist two Canadian police detectives, Paquette (Olivier Martinez) and Duval (Jean-Hugues Anglade), who are on the trail of a serial killer who has been doing business in and around Montreal for close to two decades. The murderer has a history of assimilating many aspects of the lives of his victims after he kills them, but there's been a witness to his most recent crime. Art gallery owner James Costa (Ethan Hawke) saw the killer during an assault, and now finds himself working as an only marginally willing decoy for Scott. As Scott and Costa follow the killer's trail, they find themselves becoming attracted to one another, which is not necessarily a comfort to Scott as she finds her quarry moving closer and closer. Taking Lives also stars Kiefer Sutherland and Gena Rowlands. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Quebec cinematographer turned filmmaker Andre Turpin directs this character study about one man's ability to charm and inability to face the truth. The film revolves around Alex (David La Haye), an acclaimed underwater photographer who is in demand around the world. When a diving accident results in a brain injury, he is forced to dry his flippers in Montreal. Though a relative stranger to the town, he quickly charms himself into the lives of an egocentric businessman, a neurotic drug pusher, and his friend's deaf girlfriend. Yet, slowly his personality is shifting as a result of the accident. Will he let himself take a long sober view of his changing life? This film was screened at the 2001 Toronto Film Festival. ~ Jonathan Crow, Rovi

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

Episodic and unflinchingly realistic, this docudrama offers a seldom-seen look into the lives of Montreal's homeless as it tells the story of a veteran beggar, Marcel, and his neophyte panhandler-buddy Joseph. Most of the time, the down-and-out duo spend their days walking about, talking to their equally less-fortunate and very eccentric peers. Though such wandering is seemingly aimless, Marcel is actually quietly searching for his long-lost and suicidal friend Stanley, in hopes of saving his life. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi