As the closing night unfolded at the Berlinale Palast, the team of the raspberry time presented at the Zoo Palast the first two episodes of this long-awaited series, selected in the Berlinale Series section.
Posted at 7:00 a.m.
It is always perilous to evaluate the quality of a series comprising 10 episodes without having seen it in its entirety, but if everything is up to what we were able to discover in the first 88 minutes presented at the Berlinale, Raspberry time should be one of the must-see series of the next television season.
Written by Florence Longpré (Can you hear me ?) and Suzie Bouchard (eye of the storm), based on an original idea by Philippe Falardeau and Florence Longpré, this series distills a clever mix of tones, thanks to a dramatic plot built around the whirlwind in which Elizabeth (the remarkable Sandrine Bisson) is drawn , on the sudden death of her husband, inherits the family farm.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY BERLINALE
Sandrine Bisson offers a remarkable performance in Raspberry timea series written by Florence Longpré and Suzie Bouchard, directed by Philippe Falardeau.
The latter has no experience in the field of agriculture, in addition to having on her back a somewhat intense in-laws (with whom relations are not really harmonious), seasonal workers from America Latin (which she doesn’t know even though she has been seeing them for a long time), without forgetting her two sons, who are a little caught up in the turmoil. By the way, it seems that the meaning of the title of the series is only revealed in the very last episode…
Memories of Berlin
At the Berlinale, a festival he knows well for having presented there It’s not me, I swear ! (Crystal Bear from the Generation section in 2009) and My Salinger Year (opening film in 2020), Philippe Falardeau is notably accompanied by the two authors and four actors: Micheline Lanctôt, Edison Ruiz, Xavier Chalifoux and Elijah Patrice. For Micheline Lanctôt, it is a reunion with a city and a festival that she had not seen since 1974, the year when The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitza film by Ted Kotcheff in which she starred alongside Richard Dreyfus, won the Golden Bear.
“I had kept the memory of a sad and gloomy city, where everything happened in hiding, commented the actress. It’s not that anymore! »
For his part, Philippe Falardeau appreciates the relative anonymity he has this year, insofar as, unlike the films in competition, the series selected in the Berlinale Series program do not benefit from extensive media coverage.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY THE PRODUCTION
Authors Suzie Bouchard (left) and Florence Longpré with director Philippe Falardeau at the world premiere of the series Raspberry timewhich closed the Berlinale Series section at the Zoo Palast in Berlin.
“I find a bit of the state of mind in which I was in the year 2000 when I went to present The left half of the fridge in Rotterdam. I saw as a gift the simple fact that spectators were seated in the room. I had the chance to see another film at the Berlinale this week and the pleasure that the spectators had in seeing cinema on the big screen was palpable. We also came here to support this kind of act of resistance that the Berlinale is doing by holding a real edition, even if the usual festive aspect is completely absent. It’s starting again and we want to be there! »
In his address to the public at the Zoo Palast, the Quebec filmmaker did not fail to recall to what extent art is also an essential service, even if it does not appear in the professions suggested in the documents that the Canadians must complete to enter and leave the country. “Have they learned nothing? What kept us sane during lockdown if not books, music and movies? However, we still have to justify its essential character. This is the message sent by the Berlinale this year. »
A particular tone
Punctuated by the very beautiful musical score of Martin Léon, faithful accomplice for a few films, Raspberry time was born from an idea that the director of Mr. Lazhar maintained for a long time, which revolved around seasonal workers from the South.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY THE PRODUCTION
Philippe Falardeau
“It’s been on my mind since the days of Congorama, in fact, says Philippe Falardeau. I came up with this idea when the producers of Trio orange contacted me, explaining to them that I didn’t want to write it, however. I was then asked who I would like to meet to write the screenplay and I immediately thought of Florence Longpré. When I told her about this idea, she was very skeptical, but as soon as she got home, she called me back and said she had thought of something. And it became what it became! »
The very particular tone, which mixes absurd humor, improbable situations and poignant dramas, seduced Micheline Lanctôt as soon as she read it.
“I’ve been making series for 40 years and it’s been a long time since I’ve read such a good, well-written, original and endearing text. Really, I was won over right away. We were all blown away. »
The start of a second season will obviously depend on the reception that the Quebec public will give to the series, but the screenwriters are already at the writing stage and all the craftsmen are ready to resume service, including Philippe Falardeau. The latter is not abandoning the feature film, but it appears that the next few weeks will still be devoted to following the filming of his documentary series. Meganticwhich he had interrupted in favor of the raspberry time.
Raspberry time will be offered to Club illico subscribers in April.