In Moncton, New Brunswick, the phenomenon of homelessness has been on the rise for some time, notes Denise Bouchard, the director of the feature film Our Lady of Moncton. And his film plunges to the heart of the problem while remaining a balm for the heart, an opening towards the light.
It’s a story of chance and coincidence. That of a young woman who has lost custody of her young son and of him who, having become an adult, tries to find her. A story of unlikely friendship between a widow who has been cheated on by her husband and a homeless woman who hides in her basement.
When she read the screenplay submitted to her by Mélanie Léger, Denise Bouchard, for whom this is her second fiction feature, immediately wanted to anchor this story in a contemporary reality.
The screenwriter [Mélanie Léger] lived in Shediac, but moved to Moncton. For twenty years, in Moncton, there has been a rise in homelessness. She saw these people walking in front of her house, and from there was born the idea of writing the story of a homeless woman. […] Me, when I saw the script, I said to Mélanie: “I don’t want to go into the cliché”.
“The screenwriter lived in Shediac, but moved to Moncton. For twenty years, in Moncton, there has been a rise in homelessness. She saw these people walking in front of her house, and from there was born the idea of writing the story of a homeless woman. […] Me, when I saw the script, I said to Mélanie: “I don’t want to go into the cliché.” Itinerant people, it’s not true that they’re all junkiespeople who lose a home, are on welfare or employment insurance. […] For some people, there is the problem of government paperwork,” says Denise Bouchard.
And it is precisely when Anna (sensitive Laurie Gagné) is caught up in these torments that her son Jason, placed for adoption since childhood, decides to find her. By recovering the dignity of this person in a precarious situation, the film also presents his humanity. When her destiny intersects with that of Victorine (Louise Turcot), Anna discovers that she too can give support, come to the aid of someone who needs it.
stories of fighters
To develop this role, Laurie Gagné met three women supported by the organization Portage mère-enfant, who told her about the ups and downs of their situation, their heartbreaks. “Portage mother-child is an organization that supports mothers with addiction problems so that they don’t lose their child, to equip them, give them a framework so that they can overcome their addiction and take good care of their their child,” says the actress, for whom this is her first major role.
There, she met “three extraordinary women, who confided in each other. My discovery was that they were not vulnerable. They were in a vulnerable situation. They were fighters, ”says the actress. “All had lived with contempt. These women did not show up at the premiere, in particular because of family constraints, one of them works and has four children, but also to avoid media attention.
By the greatest of chance, Anna and Victorine, who are opposites, find themselves friends. “They are each in a key moment of their existence,” says actress Louise Turcot.
The director wanted Victorine to be someone who makes decisions, says Louise Turcot. This determination does not necessarily translate into words, but into gestures, into a way of being, specifies the actress, who saw there an interesting challenge.
Difficult to live in French
In an interview, director Denise Bouchard mentions that Our Lady of Moncton is, all in all, the fourth Acadian fiction feature film. “We don’t have a film industry,” she says, adding that there is, however, a tradition of producing documentaries and television series. Our Lady of Moncton had a budget of $1.5 million. “The financial envelope is not the same in Quebec as in Acadia,” she acknowledges. Making films in French, in a bilingual province, is still a feat. »
Also, the feature film was very warmly received at the film’s premiere in Moncton. “People saw the street corner where they go to buy milk. They recognized their city. Because it’s always somewhere else, what they see on TV and in movies. Elsewhere, in Montreal and Los Angeles,” says actor Gilles Renaud, who plays Hergé, Victorine’s husband, in the film.
Our Lady of Moncton features actors with different accents. Several actors are Quebecers, others have accents found in different regions of Acadia, says Denise Bouchard. It’s part of the diversity that we encounter every day in Moncton. “There are a lot of people from Quebec who work for us. Everyone is blend, she says. I didn’t want to play on the accent. »
During this shoot, Louise Turcot also noticed how difficult life in French remains in Moncton. “When you arrive in Moncton, you realize how much these people have a daily struggle to do to keep French. In the restaurant, in the hotel, everywhere, people constantly spoke to her in English. “It’s an everyday battle for us,” admits Denise Bouchard. She also says that she is part of a movement to rename the Université de Moncton “Université de l’Acadie”. “Our European, French culture is reflected in the film, in the way we look at people, our Latin side. We are warm people,” she said.
“Our Lady of Moncton” will be shown everywhere in Quebec on March 24.