After making the highly publicized documentary Wandering without return (2020), about Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh, filmmakers Olivier Higgins and Mélanie Carrier “needed light.” They turned to their own children, seeking to capture the gradual loss of their innocence while drawing inspiration from their inexhaustible capacity for wonder.
The premiere of the film, closing the Festival de cinéma de la ville de Québec (FCVQ), was the perfect opportunity to meet the little family on the set of the film, in their bungalow in Charlesbourg. Upon the arrival of the DutyÉmile, 11, was playing basketball in front of the house with his mother. Little Béatrice, 7, was waiting inside with her father.
We thought we were seeing a scene from the documentary, since At child height is mostly made up of candid moments from their daily lives. Shot over three years, including during the COVID-19 pandemic, the film brings together “little philosophical pearls,” as Mélanie calls them — moments when the children reflect on the meaning of life and grapple with its challenges.
“I wish I could stay a baby,” Beatrice cries in a particularly touching scene. In an interview with her parents, she congratulates herself on having “always been natural in front of the camera.”
From school to home
Olivier Higgins says the authenticity of their project is based on close collaboration with their children: “We made sure to film at times when they felt comfortable and wouldn’t see the cameras. […] Because we wanted to make a film that was aesthetically complex, with two cameras and reverse shots, this required good responsiveness on the ground.”
The filmmakers therefore film their children at home, but also at school and on vacation. Olivier Higgins also narrates in voice-over his thoughts on the meaning of their approach. He questions himself about parenthood, questions himself about what he wants to pass on to his children and what he can learn from them.
The scenes at school are among the most interesting. “We had privileged access to our children’s classrooms,” says Mélanie Carrier. “It’s very rare that we have the chance to see what goes on there, without a filter. We realized to what extent the teachers are able to channel the children’s capacity for wonder. They do an extraordinary job, so much so that we’re thinking of dedicating another feature film to the subject one day.”
“The question of the shift, of the disillusionment specific to childhood, has become a central element of the film,” explains Olivier Higgins. At the beginning, we see Émilie and Béatrice playing or naively philosophizing. Then, they watch Donald Trump on the news on television and must adapt to social distancing measures during the pandemic. […] We asked ourselves: what remains of the magic of childhood when we grow up and face the challenges of everyday life?
Children in the editing room
Mélanie Carrier adds that the project has influenced her own experience as a mother. “By immersing ourselves in our children’s daily lives, by placing the camera at their height, we certainly became more sensitive to their reality,” she says. “We constantly questioned ourselves about the freedom we could grant them, as parents, while imposing reasonable limits.”
The children also had freedom throughout the creative process. “We invited Émile and Béatrice to help with the editing. They chose sequences of shots so that they felt involved and respected in the project. We don’t see our approach as a reality TV show where we would show anything, at any price.”
It was actually Émile who suggested the title to his parents. “I thought it fit well with the project, where Dad filmed scenes from our daily lives,” he says. […] “We filmed it when I was very young, whereas today, I am much older. It touches me to see how big it has become, to know that the documentary will be presented at the closing of the FCVQ.”
A joy shared by Mélanie Carrier. Having sat on the festival’s board of directors for several years, she is delighted that more and more selected films are being shot in her city: “We have always been keen to stay in Quebec to work as filmmakers. Our next project, a short film about the translator who accompanied us in Wandering without returnwill be presented in an exhibition at the Musée de la civilisation. And it is an honour to have the confidence of the FCVQ for the premiere of this film alongside those who participated in it.
The documentary At child height hits theaters on September 20. Olivier Du Ruisseau is in Quebec City at the invitation of the Quebec City Film Festival.