Piche: Between Heaven and Earth (Sylvain Archambault, 2010): Canada

Reviewed by William Barton. Viewed at the Santa Barbara Film Festival 2011.

Piche: Between Heaven and Earth is based off of the life of pilot and hero Robert Piche and in particular, the aftermath of his crash landing which saved 306 passengers aboard the plane. The chronology of the film jumps between Piche’s present moment and his memories of when he was a young man to reveal a story of a man who is tortured by his past. As each scene passes, we learn more about Piche’s thoughts and actions and the moments that defined his life. The non-linear narrative structure revealed these bits and pieces in an interesting and thought provoking manner.

Piche, which made it’s debut in Canada on July 7th, 2010 had it’s first U.S screening at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival 2011 on January 28th. The film had a packed theater and soon, was put up for another screening later in the festival.

Piche: Between Heaven and Earth starts by showing the effects of the media on pilot Robert Piche. The film then jumps back in time to reveal his descent into alcoholism and presents the struggles Piche faced balancing his family life and his work.  The film depicts a man’s redemption after succumbing to the pressure of financial instability and mental instability.

The film was shot with a hand held camera, highlighting the realism of the film. Objects often obscure the view of the camera and give a sense of Piche’s withdrawn nature. As Piche opens up, eventually the framing of the film opens up creating a form-content analogy in a very effective manner.

Piche‘s unconventional narrative structure takes a fairly simple story and brings it new life, emphasizing the mounting pressure and the need for change in Piche’s life. Because the film jumped between the past and the present, it made for a fun and interesting watch. In particular, the end of the film had my palms sweating because of the intense realism. A story of redemption has been told many times, and this film tells the same story in a different light. Struggles with alcoholism are the ruin of many man and Piche presents an uplifting look at those struggles.