Forget pans here. And your romantic memories of a certain maple spring. On the menu, think instead of tear gas canisters, broken windows and masked faces. Before it is sanitary required.
2012 / In the heart indeed takes us back to the heart of the events of the time, as if we were there. And not the most pacifist, let’s say. Rather the riots which undoubtedly degenerated the most: from the Palais des Congrès to the streets of Montreal at night, passing through the famous Liberal Party convention, exported to Victoriaville.
For more than an hour, the images of screams on one side, truncheons on the other, broken windows, thrown projectiles, when they are not downright irritating gases, plastic bullets or stun grenades, parade on the screen. Thunderous background music included.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY THE PRODUCTION
Scene from the documentary 2012 / In the heart
Yes, it is violent. Borderline unbearable to watch, in fact. If you doubted the brutality of which the police are (and have been) capable, you will be served. Shovel.
Besides, and before going any further, a clarification: this is not really a documentary. But rather a film of authors, committed on top of the market, assumed anarchists. And we would be unless: the co-director Arnaud Valade is the brother of Maxence Valade, who lost an eye during a demonstration, hit violently by a projectile. We would have liked it to be mentioned, for frank transparency.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY THE PRODUCTION
Scene from the documentary 2012 / In the heart
It gives you an idea of the tone, carried by a laconic narration by Safia Nolin, and of the bias, which unfortunately borders on misinformation at times. “From the beginning of the 2012 strike, the major television networks relayed the voice of the government and the newspapers faithfully reproduced the press releases of the police to describe the demonstrations”, it is said, among other misconceptions about the “media of mass”, which we also see here abundantly on the screen (while the spokespersons of the demonstrators are completely absent, an astonishing choice which is defended). A little more and we hear them shouting “merdias”. It would be almost laughable, if it were not so annoying, knowing that colleagues were arrested at the time in the exercise of their profession during these famous and brutal demonstrations. So no, “the police, the media and the governments” did not “league”. A dubious phrase among others that we would have done without.
All that talk hurts the cause, and that’s a shame, because that being said, this movie is obviously worth watching. It also won the People’s Choice award at the New Cinema Festival last October. Archive images have a certain historical value. And several historical parallels are not without interest: the creation of the police, the first uses of plastic bullets and the use of different emergency laws over time obviously make you think. A reflection which is essential, if one wants to draw the least lesson from this immense mess.
Indoors
Documentary feature film
2012 / In the heart
Rodrigue Jean and Arnaud Valade
1:17 a.m.