Claire Pimpare Movies

In this vivid drama, based on the real-life experiences of the director, who was a counselor for such youths, troubled juvenile offenders in Quebec tell him about their harsh lives and their hopes for the future. Though perhaps one or two will manage to live into their thirties, most are clearly doomed by their lives of prostitution, violence and drugs. Despite the unflinching realism of the kids' stories, their parts are played by actors. One particularly moving story is that of a girl whose family placed her in a juvenile detention facility to get her away from her mother's boyfriend, who had raped her. In a dejected fashion she explains the situation this way: "I'm doing his (her rapist's) time instead of him." ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi

This film, set against the stunning scenery of the Magdalen Islands in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, details the changing relationship between two brothers. Mario is 10 years old, mute and with limited hearing, and openly worships his older brother Simon, an 18-year-old about to discover the first romantic interest of his life. Mario depends on Simon all the more because their parents are busy on the island during the tourist season, leaving their youngest son on his own. Although Mario manages to survive Simon's preference for the young woman he meets -- she will not be there forever -- an accident intervenes in the brothers' relationship and is the cause of enormous change in Mario's life. The brothers try to adjust as best they can, for it appears as though Mario will have to leave for the mainland and live in a special home for the hearing and voice impaired. The setting, music, and performances are excellent in this slightly uneven story. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi

Two cultures clash when a young American man and a French-Canadian woman fall in love while studying at a Montreal college. ~ Iotis Erlewine, Rovi