In the dusk, a woman walks without any specific aim, but with a confident step. His evening walk, no doubt. We witness the same routine the next day, but this time, the woman intermittently displays an uncertain, almost haggard look. This woman’s name is Ethel, and her growing confusion is attributable to dementia or Alzheimer’s disease: in line with the failing memory of the film’s protagonist. Night walksuncertainty remains regarding the exact diagnosis.
Written, directed and edited by Ryan McKenna (The heart of Madame Sabali), Night walks ties in with Ethel (fair and poignant Marie Brassard), from her point of view. An increasingly unreliable point of view. The result is an experience that is both beautiful and painful.
Helped by the excellent photo direction of Clark Ferguson, the filmmaker translates in this regard the mental disintegration of the character with poetry. To do this, McKenna uses various techniques: blinding light reflections in the lens, destabilizing kaleidoscopic effects, etc.
These processes give an experimental side to the film, which multiplies this type of intervention as Ethel’s cognitive state deteriorates.
There are various moments that are particularly well written and staged, such as when Henri, the spouse (Hamadou Savadogo), is busy in the background before leaving the apartment without having managed to get a word out of Ethel, who is busy painting (note that many shots look like paintings).
Shortly after, during a conversation with Ethel’s daughter (Sarianne Cormier), we receive confirmation of what we already suspected: the said spouse has died for a while. In the process, we finally see the canvas on which Ethel was working: a portrait of Henri.
Later, as confusion spreads, distinct places merge… Walking, still walking, Ethel meets other residents of the center where she now lives. The latter are seated quietly in their armchairs, not in the living room, but in the middle of the forest.
We thus share Ethel’s perspective, her vague wanderings, her misty wanderings… A fragile and delicate film, like its heroine.