Kim McCraw 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)
- 2007
First-time Canadian helmer Stephane Lafleur's defiantly eccentric French-language comedy-drama Continental, un film sans fusil (AKA Continental: A Film Without Guns) 2007) commences with a bizarre event: a man who falls asleep on a bus awakens to find the vehicle suddenly vacant, hears unidentifiable sounds emanating from a nearby forest, and treks off to investigate. Lafleur then proceeds to crisscross several stories, concerning idiosyncratic characters who are both acquainted with the vanished gentleman and have no discernible connection to him. In one, the man's wife feels torn violently between accepting his disappearance and accepting the idea that he may never again turn up; at a complete loss to make this call, she opts instead to visit a ballroom and do the continental of the title. In another, a young insurance salesman (Real Bosse) spends the evening in a hotel and finds himself listening intently to a woman and her partner who make love in a nearby room - until the lady crops up and asks the salesman to visit the room and watch. In a third, a butterfingered young executive assistant (Fanny Mallette) at a packed bridal shower accepts an offer to hold a woman's baby - but drops it, to everyone's horror; and in a fourth, a pawn shop worker (Bernard Sicotte) with a serious dental problem begs his ex-wife for the money necessary to have the procedure - and proceeds to whittle it away on gambling bids. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Marie-Ginette Guay, Gilbert Sicotte, (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)
The influence of genetics and the ability to identify oneself as a separate entity from family lineage lies at the heart of award-winning short-filmmaker Louise Archambault's slice of life drama concerning a nomadic mother and her teenage daughter. Affectionately known as Mimi by her friends, Michèle (Sylvie Moreau) is an aerobics instructor with a nasty gambling habit. When Mimi's boyfriend discovers that she has gone back on her promise to avoid the gaming table, his threat to freeze her finances drives the free-spirited mother to collect her daughter Marguerite (Mylene St. Sauveur) and hit the road on the sly -- again. A brief but revealing stop at the home of Mimi's youthful mother reveals the source of Mimi's impulsive nature, and after a friendly visit, Mimi and Marguerite seek refuge at the home of Mimi's childhood friend Janine (Macha Grenon). Reluctantly allowing the wayward pair into her suburban heaven so that they may get back on their feet, Mimi and Janine attempt to improve their parenting skills and serve as positive examples for their teenage daughters before an inherent difference in value systems leads to elevating tensions. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Juliette Gosselin
