Imagine a gang of homeless people who are offered to leave the misery of the streets of Montreal for a few weeks to take a well-deserved vacation in Bas-du-Fleuve. It is on this original and very seductive idea that Louise Archambault’s new film is based, One summer timea dramatic comedy imbued with hope and tenderness.
Street chaplain and parish priest for more than 25 years in Montreal, Marc Côté (Patrice Robitaille) has spent a large part of his life helping the poor and homeless in his neighborhood, to the point of housing many of them in his church.
But Marc is exhausted. He can no longer pay the bills and even less the costly maintenance and restoration work on his church. However, when he seemed ready to resolve to close his church, Marc receives a gift from heaven: a former employer of his father bequeathed to him his large country house in Bas-du-Fleuve, the region where he grown up. To take his mind off things, Marc decides to take a small group of homeless people there who, like him, really need a vacation. However, their arrival will disturb some residents of the small community of Bas-du-Fleuve.
Seasoned actors
Screenwriter Marie Vien (Arlette, The Passion of Augustine) drew on her years of volunteering at Maison du Père (an organization that helps homeless people) to paint a portrait of this band of homeless people. If certain characters deserved to be better developed, they are however magnificently interpreted by seasoned actors. We think in particular of Guy Nadon, formidable in the skin of an ex-lawyer who has become itinerant, or of Martin Dubreuil, moving in the guise of a former soldier in post-traumatic shock.
Having already featured several marginal characters in his previous films (including Gabriella And It was raining birds), director Louise Archambault has found the right balance between drama and comedy to address these hot topics (including homelessness and acceptance of others) with the sensitivity and humanism that she is known for. knows. She also succeeded in highlighting the sublime landscapes of the Bas-du-Fleuve region to offer a comforting film that smells of summer.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5.
One summer time, a film by Louise Archambault with Patrice Robitaille, Élise Guilbault, Sébastien Ricard and Guy Nadon.