Their names are Loryanne, Vincent, Mélorie, Aidan, Arielle, Mégane, Rania and Valérie. They form the beating heart of Life in front of me, which follows a group of young people with cancer on an outdoor trip. Throughout this poignant but luminous film directed by Simon C. Vaillancourt, we are guided by the host and actor André Robitaille, who asks questions with sensitivity and, above all, listens.
André Robitaille had already collaborated with Simon C. Vaillancourt. Used to conducting interviews, the facilitator ofMain entrance and Children of TV at the same time has experience which made him an ideal candidate to collect with the required tact the reflections and confidences of these young people. The proposed context also pleased André Robitaille. Indeed, canoe trips on lakes and rivers, and rapids descents and camping were on the program: we could not be further from the interviews carried out in the cozy comfort of a studio.
In fact, one of the most striking aspects of Life in front of me, and a good part of this is undoubtedly attributable to the bond of trust that André Robitaille was able to weave, is the very frank content of the remarks. The quality of listening also certainly played a role. “Often, at the end of the interviews, I would thank them for what they had just taught me about life by sharing them,” says Simon C. Vaillancourt. They’re a couple of decades younger than Andre and I, but they’ve taught us so much, with their resilience. They have a breathtaking maturity. “
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