Shortly before dying, a dying movie buff from Saguenay expressed one last wish: to see the second part of the epic saga Dune, adapted by Denis Villeneuve. Except that the film did not open for more than a month. And he didn’t have much longer.
The story has been making the rounds on social networks since Friday, release day of the highly anticipated Dune: Part Two.
From his bed in a palliative care home, a man had the chance to watch the science fiction film on Denis Villeneuve’s computer before the whole world.
This feat was achieved by Josée Gagnon. Co-founder of the organization working with dying people Clown Thérapie Saguenay, she met the man during one of her usual tours.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY JOSÉE GAGNON
Josée Gagnon
“I found it very touching. He didn’t have an easy start to life, she remembers. We started talking about his passions, what he loved in life. He was a very simple man. »
A film buff, he had thrown into the air the wish to watch the second part of Dune. A bit up in the air, because the film didn’t open for over a month. However, his condition deteriorated rapidly. He didn’t have much longer, a few days at most. It would have taken a miracle, and still…
Except that Josée Gagnon still wanted to try it.
“It was something a bit far-fetched. Clearly, that wasn’t going to happen! But we said to ourselves, maybe we can make him dream differently, try to get a message from Denis Villeneuve,” she says.
At the beginning of January, the actress therefore appealed to everyone on social networks.
“Someone would be able to put me in contact with the filmmaker Denis Villeneuve (director of Dune) by chance ? », she wrote on Facebook.
It was a bottle in the sea, she knew it. But it was also his only chance. And against all odds, it worked.
“It caused a wildfire. Several people mobilized to put me in touch with his team,” she says, citing in particular the filmmaker Sébastien Pilote.
In the space of a few hours, the story had reached Denis Villeneuve and his partner, producer Tanya Lapointe, who agreed to participate.
PHOTO DOMINICK GRAVEL, THE PRESS
Denis Villeneuve and Tanya Lapointe
“They were very touched. They said that’s why they make cinema. For the guy who wants to see a movie before he dies. It’s like a consecration,” shares Josée Gagnon.
But not everything was over. Even with Denis Villeneuve’s approval, a way to proceed still had to be found. A film of this magnitude is highly confidential. There are agreements and regulations to respect. With the team of the Quebec director, Mme Gagnon explored “all avenues”.
“We tried to bring the man to Montreal, but it was impossible. He was at the end of his life. It was a race against time,” she sums up.
Time was passing. The man could die any day. Then, one morning, an assistant of Denis Villeneuve arrived at the palliative care home with the director’s computer.
“We handed over our cell phones, signed waivers, closed the curtains, then the dying man watched Dune: Part Two alone with a friend who is in charge of the house,” says Mme Gagnon in a publication that went viral on social networks.
“The man was so weak that we thought he might die while watching the film. He didn’t have the strength to listen to it all. It didn’t matter,” she continues.
After the viewing, the assistant immediately left. The man died a few days later.
“There was something grandiose about it. It was all still epic. And he was extremely touched to see everyone come together to make one of his dreams come true,” remembers Josée Gagnon.
“It’s beautiful to see that people still want to give, to help, to make others dream. And to see the enthusiasm that it arouses, it proves that people want to have hope for humanity,” she concludes.