The year seen by Marc Cassivi and Manon Dumais | The Press

From the place of women behind the camera to the phenomenon Barbenheimer, the year 2023 will have demonstrated that theatrical cinema is still alive. Discussion between our journalists specializing in cinema Marc Cassivi and Manon Dumais.

Marc Cassivi: When we think back to 2023 in Quebec cinema, we see that it was a remarkable year for women filmmakers. Monia Chokri won over critics and the public, in Quebec and in France, thanks to Simple like Sylvain ; Chloé Robichaud (Happy Days), Sophie Dupuis (Solo), Ariane Louis-Seize (Humanist vampire), Louise Archambault (The time of a summer), Anik Jean (My mother’s men), Miriam Charles (This house) have all spread, here or abroad. We have introduced measures to make more room for female directors and we are starting to reap the benefits.

Manon Dumais: It was time that the boys club finally displays “Welcome to the ladies”… Since 2007, Equitable Directors have fought to achieve gender parity, which was achieved in 2021 thanks in particular to the support of Telefilm Canada, the NFB and SODEC. That said, this achievement could be fragile; we must therefore not rest on our laurels. Furthermore, it is not only in Quebec that women shine behind the camera. Thirty years after Jane Campion (The piano lesson) and two years later Julia Ducournau (Titanium), Justine Triet (Anatomy of a fall) became the third woman to win the Palme d’Or at Cannes. And what was the highest grossing film in 2023? barbieby Greta Gerwig!

M. C.: There hasn’t been a more brilliant film this year for me – and I know you agree – thanAnatomy of a fall. And barbie, it was ironic candy for those who also know how to savor feminism in the second degree. Not only have the directors offered us strong films, but there are also themes that emerge and which demonstrate the importance of female voices in cinema. It was you who pointed out to me that toxic relationships were at the heart of many films in 2023. I think I finally understood the expression gaslighting [détournement cognitif] by discovering the ascendancy of the character of Félix Maritaud over that of Théodore Pellerin in Solo. And the very definition of the narcissistic pervert is the character of Melvil Poupaud in Love and forestsby Valérie Donzelli…

M. D.: Several women have brilliantly illustrated toxic masculinity on screen, like Valérie Donzelli, who wanted her film to bring hope, unlike the novel by Éric Reinhardt from which she was inspired. Chloé Robichaud also explores it in Happy Days, where she depicts a toxic relationship between a conductor and her father. Also remember the scene at the beginning ofAnatomy of a fall, my favorite film of 2023, when the husband plays music loudly while his wife gives an interview to a student. Later, when an argument between the couple that he recorded is broadcast at the trial, we understand that he was jealous of his wife’s success. When it comes to a narcissistic pervert who can’t stand seeing his fiancée climb the ranks of high finance, another boys clubthe Wall Street analyst in Fair Play, by Chloe Domont, does not give its place. Next year, we will be entitled to the adaptation of the Consentby Vanessa Springora…

M. C.: You were talking about the success of barbie. THE phenomenon of the year in Hollywood, it is certainly this improbable creature of marketing that is Barbenheimer. Two films at odds with each other, which were released on the same day, with great success: a tangy comedy about a doll, a biographical drama about the inventor of the atomic bomb. And yet, no doubt partly thanks to this marketing strategy, Oppenheimer exceeded expectations, and barbie became one of the most popular films of all time. Proof that we are not impervious to advertising… And that to rekindle the public’s love for cinemas, sometimes all it takes is a spark.

M.D.: Ah! this Barbie who so joyfully shook the cage of the supporters of the patriarchy! The phenomenon Barbenheimer is an absolutely fantastic publicity stunt which vividly proves that, despite the success of multiple platforms, theatrical cinema is not dead. However, the promotional tours for both films had to come to an abrupt end when Hollywood actors and actresses went on strike, two months after the screenwriters, which resulted in the cessation of filming and the postponement of the releases of films, including the more than awaited sequel to Dune, Dune: Part Two, by Denis Villeneuve. Hopefully this long wait will make spectators want to rush to the cinema. Strike, not strike, the public’s disinterest in the universe of Marvel and other superheroes is more and more marked. What should good old Marty be happy about?

M. C.: Scorsese should stop picking on Marvel, especially without having seen the films. Cinema remains what we want to do with it. That said, he is right to deplore the space occupied in popular culture and movie theaters by the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe), which has lost its way in its own multiverse. By diluting its overly complex plots in endless sequels, prequels and TV series, the MCU is in the process of overcoming the enthusiasm of the general public. Superhero films now cause people to shrug their shoulders, having acted on the Hollywood landscape like a steamroller that crushes everything in its path. Fortunately, there are flowers that grow through the asphalt (if you allow me this excess of metaphors): Killers of the Flower Moon is a tour de force and Scorsese is still at the top of his game at 82 years old.

M. D.: Since 2019, Martin Scorsese has been blasting the MCU and this year, he added a layer by saying that these films were prefabricated as if they had been created by artificial intelligence (AI). He is not the only one to fear AI: screenwriters as well as Hollywood actors and actresses have demanded guarantees on the use of AI during their strike. Even though I suffer from “Marvel fatigue”, I find it a shame that The Marvels, directed by a black woman, Nia DaCosta, and featuring three superheroines, one of whom is African-American and another Canadian-Pakistani, had the worst start at the MCU box office. On the one hand, this means it’s time to move on to another call; on the other hand, it means that women still have many struggles to face in the wonderful world of cinema.