Seeing Our sisters-in-lawI wondered if René Richard Cyr’s film would succeed in attracting a young audience to the theater. Those who were born when Michel Tremblay wrote his famous play at the age of 23 will for the most part be won over by this flamboyant adaptation of the Sisters-in-law. But will those who are 23 years old let themselves be convinced? Nothing is less certain.
And yet, as Aznavour sang, young audiences would do well to take an interest in this film, if only to introduce themselves, if they haven’t already, to a major work of our dramaturgy. René Richard Cyr has offered Sisters-in-law Tremblay’s masterpiece, a key piece that bears witness to a pivotal period in our history, was given a new lease of life by the musical show he created from it in 2010, in collaboration with Daniel Bélanger. His first film, which adds more family context, is in keeping with this.
Behind the warm setting of saturated colors and floral patterns, Our sisters-in-law tells the often dark and painful Quebec of our grandmothers (for those who, like me, are in mid-life and have heard their parents address their mother formally).
It is a film that looks at the evolution of the condition of women in Quebec over the past 60 years, the sacrifices imposed on Quebec women, under the double yoke of religion and patriarchy, as well as the path that remains to be traveled.
René Richard Cyr has succeeded in making what is essentially a closed-door kitchen drama captivating, thanks to his inspired direction of a top-flight cast. Geneviève Schmidt is remarkable in the role of Germaine Lauzon, a self-declared housewife who wins the famous jackpot of a million stamps and invites her sister, her sister-in-law and her friends to stick them in notebooks. The actress infuses her Germaine with all the nuances that this work demands, at the crossroads of musical comedy and tragicomic theatre, on the edge of caricature.
Our sisters-in-law relies on powerful scenes: the one where Rose Ouimet (Anne-Élisabeth Bossé), Germaine’s sister, leaves her kitchen on a whim while the sound of her husband (Guillaume Cyr) slapping her children resonates. The one where she recounts the marital rape she has suffered morning and evening for 20 years.
A bathroom becomes a confessional, the play’s monologues turn into singing numbers, dreamlike skits outside Germaine’s apartment are all pretexts to make the chorus of sisters-in-law resonate. The non-musical comedy fan in me was reassured: there is not an excess of songs. That said, some scenes – one is never too far from the theater – fit the story better than others.
I know that if I mention the expression “musical interludes” to my sons, the chances that they will go and see it Our sisters-in-law at the cinema are almost non-existent. It’s a shame. This film is not just about nostalgics; it is a universal story about class disparities, envy, jealousy, hypocrisy, greed and much more.
It is a work that condemns dogmas and pretenses, of religion as well as capitalism. Which attacks the false happiness of consumerism. It can certainly appeal to a young adult audience, critical of instant consumption or tired of seeing people on social networks showing themselves in videos, unpacking their new purchases.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY TVA FILMS
Image from the film Our sisters-in-law
If she had had the technological means, Germaine Lauzon would undoubtedly have devoted herself to unboxingThe American dream of material possessions is universal and timeless. The sense of escape from poverty, the desire for a less arduous life, is what motivates most voters, today as it did in 1965. Politicians understand this well.
Our sisters-in-law the film is obviously not as subversive in 2024 as it was in 1968 The sisters-in-law the play at its creation. What was shocking at the time, this joual that was finally arriving on stage, makes people smile today. Because this colorful language is part of the fabric of many Quebec families. For many, starting with those who were the same age as Linda Lauzon’s character (amalgamated in the film with that of Lise Paquette), it evokes memories of youth.
Our sisters-in-law is not a realistic film, far from it, but it is a work filled with truths about these women slaves to their condition as mothers, wives or “old maids”. Des-Neiges who worries about “what will people say?” or Pierrette who was thrown away like an old Kleenex by her Johnny. It is a tribute both to a jewel of our theatrical repertoire and to Quebec women; to their history, their resilience, their emancipation.
Mononc’ Marc advises you to take a look, young people.