Jean-Marc is a man without qualities living in times that are out of joint. His wife and children ignore him; he's a mid-level government functionary in Montreal doing his job without care. He has an active imagination of sexual conquest, but his only real feelings come when he visits his aged mother, whose health is failing. When his wife leaves abruptly to work in Toronto, Jean-Marc sets out to reorder things with his daughters, his social life, and at work. In a world that at best is a farce, does he stand a chance?
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Reviews
It is depressive, melancholic, and boring. I watched the trailer and I was so happy. But I never thought the movie would be a waste of time. I wonder how it got nominated numerous awards. Thank goodness, it didn't win any but for Best Make-up, which I agree.I am giving it 4/10 just Diane Kruger. Yes, she is so hot, sexy and steamy!
This is not a rip off of American Beauty, but a rip off of Montreal.The government of Quebec must make this movie mandatory to every immigrant before coming to Quebec because everything in it is 100% true. Our hospitals are horrible and inadequate filled with incompetent doctors, the elderly are treated very badly in nursing homes, the government wastes money in everything but efficiency, less and less people are getting married and affairs are the norm, our laws are retarded and city itself is riddled with depression. sex and alcohol. Our suicidal rates are one the highest and if you don't day dream about an escape, your already dead inside.
This movie is well described with one word: "depression". The whole atmosphere of the film is just depressive, melancholic, sadistic, boring and senseless. Everything is grey, everyone is unhappy, everything is going wrong. Concerning the atmosphere, the director and main actor did a great job, without any doubt, but who wants to see a movie that shows just a negative sense of the life and a pseudo-critical family or society portrait? You have not any fun by watching this movie, but if you want to feel down and depressive, go for it, but watch it alone, because it could destroy the atmosphere of a movie night with some friends.
If there is any hope for Canadian films it is in Quebec. Quebec filmmakers are not beholden to Hollywood, enslaved by its techniques or inclined to copy its product. This is an original, brilliantly conceived, masterfully shot and superbly performed film. I'm not sure whether it's satire, social commentary, comedy or perhaps a little of each. It's slightly reminiscent of Terry Gilliam's Brazil but it stands on its own as a powerful film with a thoughtful (if dark) message. The shame is that films of this quality are not seen in English Canada nor in the US outside the limited sphere of film festivals and fringe cinemas. Denys Arcand is a genius and it shows in this work. This film is what movie making is all about! Or should be.
