After observing the boreal forest in 7 landscapesRobert Morin looks at wildlife in order to demonstrate the usefulness of death in nature and places us before our own purpose.
Wounded by an arrow, a moose plunges into the forest until it collapses and breathes its last. Soon after, flies, wasps and beetles begin the unexpected feast. As the seasons change, crows, eagles and turkey vultures will join the banquet, as well as fishers, bears and wolves. A hunter (Robert Morin), disgusted by the smell, and a trapper (Solomon Wawatie), who will wish the beast a safe journey, will pass by quickly.
By its way of celebrating nature which reclaims its rights, Boreal feast returns us to our own purpose with the same force asA carrionpoem of Flowers of Evil (1857), where Baudelaire juxtaposes the beauty of his beloved with “this horrible infection”. In doing so, like Bydlo (2012), a masterful animated short film by Patrick Bouchard, where an ox emerging from the ground is assailed by voracious men, this essay film by Robert Morin recalls the selfishness of human beings in the face of nature to which he takes without giving back.
Beyond wanting to deal with the usefulness of death in nature, the filmmaker wanted to create a work of pure cinema, as he had done with 7 landscapesa contemplative documentary set in a forest crossed by a river.
To obtain this formal purity and apparent simplicity, in addition to talent and creativity, it required a lot of patience, perseverance and courage. A far cry from Andy Warhol’s anti-films of the 1960s, where the artist was content to plant his camera in front of a sleeping man (Sleep) or a building (Empire) then project the whole thing in full, Boreal feasta fiction film in the eyes of its creator, required the collaboration of skilled craftsmen.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY MAISON 4: 3
Scene from Boreal feast
Moving painting
It is first of all through the sumptuous photo of Thomas Leblanc Murray that we enter the forest in the footsteps of the giant quadruped, brought to life in certain shots thanks to the good care of Patrick Boivin, who created the very convincing visual effects. Devoid of narration and music, the filmmaker having wanted to move away from consensual animal documentaries, Boreal feast however, benefits from the captivating soundtrack of Martin Pinsonneault where the different sounds of the forest are discreetly heard.
Following the fluid editing of Elric Robichon, the film offers very few surprises or breathtaking moments, but includes numerous shots where the behavior of the species between them provokes interest or astonishment. To close this sylvan poem by Robert Morin, André-Line Beauparlant, artistic director, designs a moving pastoral painting in the heart of a forest threatened by the presence of loggers.
The prospect of watching the carcass of a moose decompose and be devoured for more than an hour could certainly put off many people. However, this would be to deprive ourselves of a rare object of beauty which, in addition to bewitching us with its hypnotic animal ballet, offers the spectacle of the cycle of nature in all its grandeur and splendor.
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Boreal feast
Robert Morin
Robert Morin, Solomon Wawatie
1:15 a.m.