Clara lives in an isolated religious community in Maniwaki. One day, she jumps on a bus to Montreal, looking for her escaped big sister. A clash of cultures, beliefs and certainties awaits him in the metropolis.
It is a story of escape, but above all of emancipation that Nathalie Saint-Pierre offers us here (My neighbor dances ska, Catimini), with this third independent feature film which once again tackles marginal characters. Here, with Clara, played by an astonishing Lou Thompson (first role in the cinema, in a feature film) disarmingly truthful with his furrowed eyebrows and his determined air, let’s say that we are in the unprecedented. It’s not every day that we see orthodox communities like this in Quebec cinema, obsessed with their right path. Beware, the “lost” ones…
Clara quickly finds herself parachuted into the home of her aunt Louise, hilarious Edith Cochrane with a delightful repartee, in a role more complex than it seems, which fits her like a glove. The two form a surprising duo. Special mention to several dialogues, sometimes a bit expected, but no less tasty, between the “Little House on the Prairie” and her not-so-benevolent, ultimately endearing aunt. Under the cover of lightness, fundamental things will be said here about the importance of doubt and the danger of fixed ideas.
Let us underline the accuracy of the secondary characters (Philomène Bilodeau, Dominik Dagenais and Édith Dandenault), all also masterfully directed.
Certainly, we have already seen stories of emancipation in the same tone, more often in connection with the Orthodox Jewish community. Just think about Felix and Meira (Maxime Giroux) or the series Unorthodox (Netflix), more recently. But if you are expecting a dive into an unknown universe, you will be disappointed. We won’t know much about this other world, to be honest, we will see almost nothing of it. Now, we would have decidedly taken more, if only to jump headlong into the adventure with Clara, and understand certain implausibilities. At most we will hear him recite parts of the Bible, on the “infinite goodness of God”, arms raised to heaven.
That said, the essence of the subject (inspired by a real-life event) is elsewhere: in the discovery of the whirlwind of the city, like a magnificent postcard, with its colors, its energy and its little pleasures. The camera follows the murals, alleys and skyscrapers perfectly. But not everything is flowery here, and Clara will have to face coldness, anonymity and a disturbing indifference.
Despite its small budget, let us finally mention that the production put all the effort into the music of the film, almost omnipresent and an integral part of the scenario. We will recognize, among others, Lhasa de Sela, Lisa LeBlanc and Salomé Leclerc, who add a good dose of emotion to an astonishing film which does not lack it.
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Drama
On earth as in heaven
Nathalie Saint-Pierre
Lou Thompson, Edith Cochrane, Philomène Bilodeau
1:59 a.m.